A Freedom Worth Fighting For

Today on Senate line with GE Greer is a God. The reason you should accept me is because I had so much faith this week that I walked on water hide so much love in my heart that I forgive my enemies when they were crucifying me tight so much self-control that Satan tempted me to my face. I said no to him every single time I've course to do any of those things this week. But Jesus did them in his record is mine and that's the basis of my acceptance before God. I'm your host Molly, but that's well guess what today were diving into a new study in the book of Galatians called freedom in the in between were going to be learning how the gospel frees us to live with confidence in a world of uncertainty and were kicking off with the message that Pastor JD preached about the same time of year.

A few years back on the 500th anniversary of the Reformation great reminder of why the actions of an ancient German monk named Martin Luther still matter test today so grab your Bible and open it to collation and place your bookmark because were going to camp out here for a little while and see what freedom in Christ truly looks like Pastor JD titled this first message I freedom worth fighting. Does anybody know what happens on October 31 of this year is a dull Halloween. Of course, yes, you pagans will have Halloween but the real Christians know that on October 31 of this year we celebrate the 500th year anniversary of the Reformation on that day, 500 years ago a deeply conflicted monk named Martin Luther 1/2 mile from his home in Wittenberg to the door of the primary Cathedral bear and he mailed out 95 theses demanding change in the church. The changes that Luther brought about in the church for how we think and talk about the gospel cannot be overstated.

Luther believe that centuries of religion and man-made tradition had covered up the gospel that Jesus taught and the apostles proclaim now whether you agree with Luther or not. He is undoubtedly one of the most significant figures in church history, and because a 500 year anniversary doesn't come along that often working to spend the next few weeks studying the book of Galatians use a wide Galatians because Luther considered Paul's letter or epistle to the Galatians to be the most important book in the Bible. He called the book of Galatians.

My epistle and said if it were possible to Mary and epistle Galatians would be my wife.

He said it would be better to read Galatians a thousand times before you ever read the first word by him. He said that in many ways, the book of Galatians is more important even than the book of Romans, because whereas the book of Romans tells you most clearly what the gospel is Galatians he said explains to you what it is not. And sometimes that's even more important to understand that one small caveat before we get going. Many of you in here were raised Catholic. I understand that every weekend is a part of our church.

We have many in that category. And there are some of you who would still consider yourselves to be Catholic and I want you to know that you are welcome and you are loved here at the summit church have the summit church we come from all different backgrounds and for the most part we've left brand names behind. So as we consider some of the things of what Galatians says I don't want you here. It is a Catholic or Protestant is what you hear to somebody who wants to know what God's word actually says that's how I'm going to preach and am I gonna preach it as a Catholic or Protestant. Just as a guy was reading the Bible and try to understand what it means there's a question. What was it about the book of Galatians, Martin Luther and many others have found so powerful that you never ask. Let's take a look. Galatians 1. Verse six is where I will start. I am amazed Paul said that you are so quickly turning away from him who called you by the grace of Christ in your turning now to a different gospel. The thing to notice here is that Paul skips all of his usual affirmations and gospel celebrations that he normally puts in his epistles and he does get right in the business. You see, every speaker, every writer has a pattern gonna break the ice. I get up here and I always walk all the campuses and I'll talk about something. One of the church and outside of a firm, you cannot tell a lighthearted story minutes 80. Take out your Bibles and open them, and I yell you for 45 minutes. That's my pattern. Okay what Paul's pattern is the start of gospel affirmations and celebrations and usually spends a chapter doing that if I got up here one weekend and the lights came on and it just me standing here in my arms crossed and I said I got some say you people yell would know something was wrong. That's what's happening here. Something is wrong with all something is Izzy he's angry. Paul is appalled. You might say verse six.

I am amazed that you are so quickly turning away from him who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel, not that there is another gospel there is no other gospel, but there are some who are troubling you and want to distort or pervert the gospel of Christ. But I tell you, even if we or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, a curse should be on him.

Now that's a bagel statement and it I don't care if an angel shows up here next week and floats down from the ceiling. If he says something different than what I and the other apostles have already said to you and let a curse be on him by the way, that is a verse I always use when I'm talking with the Muslim or a Mormon who tells me that the reason that I should listen to Mohammed or Joseph Smith is because an angel appeared to them and gave them the missing part of of Christianity, which is what both of those different religions claim and always take them to this verse in Galatians like Paul anticipated that any said I don't care if it is an angel that showed up did that there saying something different than what the apostles and Jesus himself said the mayor under a curse in their life impulse can repeat that statement parenthesis in verse nine as we have said before, I now say again, if anybody is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you already received but a curse be on him.

I've only two real points I want to make with you today. The first point is that the apostle Paul wants us in no uncertain terms to reject the perverse gospel in the number two he wants us to fight you willing to fight for the true one 1 reject the perverse gospel. He says there was a group in the early church known as the Judaizers you see most of the earliest Christians were Jews and Jews, of course, had been raised on the law and they believe that obedience to the law was how you got close to God and how you obtain favor and blessing from God will after these Jews had come to faith in Christ, which meant that they recognize that Jesus was indeed the promised Messiah would been sent by God to take away our sins after they believe that they still speak out some of this old law mentality because old habits die hard. So they taught that in addition to faith in Christ. There were certain law things that you still needed to observe in order to make yourself acceptable to God and that by forcing yourself to a babies laws you could transform yourself into being the kind of person that God wanted you to be chief among their concerns was the Old Testament command to be circumcised for 1500 years. Circumcision had been the primary distinguishing mark of the Jews. It was the thing that set them apart from the nations. It was the symbol that they were fully submitted to God.

Paul calls what these Judaizers are teaching that is in addition to faith in Christ. You gotta be circumcised and be part of the law, because that not just a corruption.

He calls that a different gospel. It's a different gospel verse six verse seven a perverted gospel. Verse eight a contrary gospel, by the way, technically, in verse seven, when he says perverse the word he uses in Greek is the word that means reversal what the Judaizers are teaching actually reimburses the flow of the gospel. The real gospel.

He says, is that in salvation God did for us what we were utterly incapable of doing for ourselves. He did it all by himself and we can only receive it by faith.

Paul probably encapsulates that in verse four with the word he uses to describe Jesus verse four.

He says Jesus gave himself for our sins to rescue us, rescue means we were helpless and so he saved us in two primary ways first we were condemned to Jesus gave himself for our sins by living the perfect life.

We were supposed to live in and die the death we were condemned to die in our place. What Jesus did he live the life we were supposed to live and die the death were condemned to die and he took our record and died for many gave us his perfect record and now we stand complete not because we are righteous, but because Jesus was right. Just in our place. In addition to that we were dead. Jesus infused new life into us through the resurrection. The gospel is not that we were spiritually weak and we need a little law to strengthen us. The gospel is that you were spiritually dead, no breath, no pulse, no life at all.

I've heard it compared before sometimes heard salvation compared to what we were drowning in a sea of arson, condemnation, and Jesus comes along a life raft in the throes of the life Lonnie pulls us back in. That's understand the analogy there, but that is not what salvation is in the Bible salvation.

If you use that example is you were floating facedown in the water, already dead, already drowned. Jesus picked you up out of the water he brought you back to life or to slightly shift the analogy when often uses yahrzeit conversion is like waking up in an ambulance and you have no idea how you got there, but the doctor attending physician says you were in a terrible accident and you actually died me and my team of doctors here. We brought you back to life now. At that point that Dr. is not asking you to get up and help him is what you delay right there and consent to him doing the saving work on you when you are converted. It's because you recognize it.

Jesus has done. Not everything necessary to save you already and that you simply wake up to the fact that he has accomplished your salvation. 2000 years ago and you say yes and you consent to him doing it.

What part you contribute to salvation. You did all the sinning that was your part of salvation. Jesus did all the saving and did everything after that. That is the true gospel.

It teaches us that God saves us and blesses us as a free gift of unmerited grace, and in response to that we do good works, the perverted gospel reverses that it says you do some good works, and then in response to that God saves you and blesses you. Now most of us today are not to be hung up on circumcision or aspects of the Jewish law, by letting us try to suggest for you a few ways that I see Christians today believing the same perverse gospel.

They do substitute different things in her circumcision.

I give you a handful of ways that your one we do it whenever we make something to faith something else besides faith in Christ necessary for salvation. For example, is for some people.

They think you need to accept Christ as your Savior and take communion and belong to the church and go to confession accept Christ and baptize. There is no and in the gospel. There is faith plus nothing else in what Christ has done that saves words when we assume that God's acceptance of us is also based on how well we been living describe that like this before.

It's like when you coming to worship and you had a really good week. You did everything right, spiritually read your Bible every day talking about Jesus.

He gave an offering your nice to the neighbors kids or whatever is easiest for like audible so close to God is like manages like use ones they give you whatever. I'm asking them was a lesbian and then the next week but next week you you coming because you haven't had a good weekend. You know you just you can read your Bible and in giving the offering and you take the neighbor's dog and I did recycle on whatever it is you think makes you have a bad week and you you community just like Donna still so far away from God and I feel like I just he doesn't hear me and I'm not really accepted by him so then what you do is you start to make promises to God about what you're going to do as if like you're trying to buy his acceptance on credit. I'm going to become what does so accept me for that reason. What the gospel teaches or action when you do that what you're showing is that you don't really believe the actual gospel of the gospel teaches is that when you come in God's acceptance of you is not based on anything except for how Jesus Christ is left and what he did in your place means and worship starts.

I don't measure my closeness to God based on how well I live.

I based it on what Jesus accomplished and finish for me. 2000 years ago. It means I say God.

The reason you should accept me this because I had so much faith this week that I walked on water hide so much love in my heart that I forgive my enemies when they were crucifying me hide so much self-control that when Satan tempted me to my face after I fasted for 40 days in the wilderness. I said no to him every single time I've course, didn't do any of those things this week. But Jesus did them in his record is mine and that's the basis of my acceptance before God to you.

Do you substitute it whenever you do anything you do anything that adds to Christ's finished work for you. There's a second way some more progressive Christians assume that it didn't matter what you believe as long as you are sincere, loving, and good person and that girl that sounds so inclusive but it really just another way of saying that what you do determines whether or not God except you, because there still a standard you have to reach even if it's a really loose one, you still really be a good person. Nobody assumes that everybody makes it to heaven we always assume murderers and child molesters and rapists and racist bigots and Adolf Hitler and people like him and I got a make it right.

But the gospel is not that God saves all good people. Even if you have a really definition of what a good person is the gospel is that there are only bad people only bad people who receive the rescue of Jesus Christ by faith.

There's 1/3 way we do it.

Sometimes we don't we try to grow ourselves spiritually through self effort, you realize are saved by grace what you think.

Now becoming Christlike is on you.

In chapter 3 of Galatians falls going to explain that any growth in the Christian life is not the result you will emit into your life, but is the fruit of the spirit in you. Listen to this. The power of the spirit is released by faith in Christ, not by resolution or self-discipline. Life doesn't come from self-discipline.

Life comes from faith in Christ finished work. There's 1/4 way.

I realize this week that I often believe a false gospel. When I think that I can produce spiritual change and other people a lot of times that I'm and did not appear ready to preach something what to make me successful as a preacher when you peel back the layers. What I most depending on our my speaking ability is my ability to persuade my study and my preparation. Sometimes I think about whether or how I'm going to be successful as a dad and I think what's to make my kids turn out the way they should. They watch the strength of my personality at the back of master these parenting techniques or whatever Paul would say that is foolish only the spirit can produce eternal life in your congregation. Bring your kids and listen. The spirit is not released into your kids or your congregation. Because of your personality or abilities. The spirit is released in others through faith in the gospel when you depend on yourself to produce spiritual life and others you are buying into a false gospel. Basically, any time we focus on anything beside God's power, releasing faith in Christ finished work we are believing a version of the false gospel call here, this is very important.

Paul is not against the law. Paul would explain in Galatians that the law has a place what he was against was elevating the wall to a place where you assume that it makes you more right with God or you assume it is the secret to experiencing power in the Christian life is often we commit the error of the Galatians, not by believing bad things by simply taking good things and making them the central thing. The life-giving thing.

For example, some of the churches that I grew up in and around had a tendency to ask emphasize conformity to a set of rules. As a mark of the real Christian.

Real Christians do this. Real Christians don't do that real Christians talk this way the questions don't say that Christians don't go to movies and listen to rock music don't drink or two ago. The girls are due they don't have premarital sex because it might lead to the worst of all, sans Nancy, I just don't do that real Christian boys have short hair and real Christian girls wear dresses that we just be honest for minute was just be real.

There's nothing wrong with rules and standards we all have them write… Again on but let's be honest, it's an unspoken rule in our society that you shouldn't your girly central church were to string bikini. There might mean that we will have it posted anywhere.

But you say you don't yet come to church string bikini. This is not your I don't have my kids use four letter words on the credit use four letter word from the pulpit were pretty much any time, but it's this that make us a legalist because we have ruled no everybody has rules. The problem the problem was that with the rules that I grew up with in me.

The churches that there was a part of is that they were the center of Christianity for us. There were the thing that we most focused on if we did them God except us.

We would be spiritual to see. I usually left these religious gatherings, thinking about what I needed to do to make myself more acceptable to God, rather than trusting what God had done for me and promised to do in the is the source of my spiritual life of the church is emphasize learning correct doctrine know I love doctrine, but these churches measure how close you are to God by how much theology you know education does not equal transformation and transformation does not come from a mind stuffed full of knowledge come from simple childlike faith in the gospel there other churches that focus on practical tips for living the listen to the sermons and they're all about how to do this or how to become that. How to accomplish this, and that's good.

No, I love relevance. I love practicality. It's kind of in my nature. But the problem in these churches is that you leave thinking about how to list of what you were supposed to do rather than looking to what God has done for you is the secret to the power to change in the Christian life. The power in Christianity is not bound in a helpful to do list Michael JD power and Christianity is found in faith in what Christ has done. Some churches are to put all their emphasis on some dimension of social justice.

Real Christians care for the poor.

Real Christians are in racial reconciliation or whatever and all that's great. Those are all an essential part of being a disciple, but the power in Christianity comes not from a new social agenda, the power and Christianity come from simple faith in what God has done. Do not mix up the implications of the gospel that the gospel itself. The gospel itself is not about what you are to do in any sphere. The gospel is not about what you were to do. It's about what Jesus is done and when you put faith in what Jesus has done into you is released all the power to do Jesus last words on the cross were not. I got it started.

You will finish it up. His last words on the cross work. It is finished.

And when you believe that credit you with righteousness of Jesus Christ your account and infuses Jesus's resurrection power into you.

That is, it nothing more.

Which leads me to number two pulses at the rejected. I want you to fight for the true gospel which to fight for the true gospel. Paul is use the strongest language imaginable here.

You said that preachers and teachers Reaven angels who distort this gospel should be cursed. Most people don't like any kind of fighting a controversy in the church and honestly I agree I don't like strife, but Paul says some things are worth fighting for. Some things are matters of life and death. If you pervert the gospel.

He says you do two things you notice this verse six decision to turn away from him who called you by the grace of Christ. In other words during the desert.

Jesus in the last person that you want to walk out of his presence as Jesus is not a matter of this range of what we can believe… All get along. This has to do with whether or not we are connected. Jesus's saving power. Secondly, he says, you condemn people by pointing them to another gospel.

That's actually not another gospel at all.

There is no other gods are giving people who were dying of thirst, or giving them a couple of HCl in my look like water but it's not water it's not every life is going to bring death pulses those two things. The presence of Jesus in your life in the way of salvation. Those remains were striving for. Even if it means you have the sometimes event people and even if it means you have to create vision and Christian fingers putting your past. When God saved you, which then means that there's a point in the future when you'll be with him and having but for now we live in between those two things in this new series gets to the heart of the gospel and how it transforms us from the inside out. While we live in the in between time you're listening to Summit Langley 13, our greatest resource for living in between is the word of God really excited this might offer a custom Summit life Bible we went with the publisher cross-linked to create a CSV or English standard version of the Bible lets so special about it for listeners duty… Be clear, we say custom Bible we not mean that we have reedited the Bible, you know.

Anyway, it's the English standard version of the Bible, but it's small it's compact if it's easily in verse. Verse remember everything but a backpack computer bag. It's got a custom get this Summit life Bible reading lamp printed right on the inside. The main goal of this is that we wanted you to grow in your daily interaction with God you read the Bible to what you understand it and be able to connect the individual stories and teachings of the Bible to the bigger picture of what's going on when you get done. You're like not just a checkbox and read some of the Bible, but I love know Jesus more than one year 52-week Bible reading plan.

This is a Bible you can use as an adult. It's conniving. It's great to share with your kids, you know, I know for regular members Molly and on the time in the week that we try to in the Bible together. This is a great resource that you can use in sharing the if you learn just 10 books of the Bible better than he knew them before. After working through the brand and that's a huge win, right you a copy today is our way of saying thanks when you donate to support this ministry Senate life is funded by listeners like you when you linked arms with you are helping us bring gospel centered Bible teaching to the radio, television, and that you can do that with him when times get bored by joining our team have regular monthly gospel partners. Just give us a call 663-3550 228-663-3552 20 or you can get and request for Summit life Bible online or mail your donation, address it JD Greer ministry, PO Box 12293. During the hearing and 77 Molly Witt admits so glad to have you with us today to listen Wednesday when I