Friday, November 25, 2016

Something to be thankful for...

As we come off the Thanksgiving holiday many people have asked the question around the table of "what are you thankful for?" Many of the answers surely included family, new jobs, new loves, new toys, the list could be endless.

In Galatians 3:6-9 Paul reminds us of something very old that we should always be thankful for. 

Just as Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness, then understand that those who have faith are Abraham’s sons. Now the Scripture saw in advance that God would justify the Gentiles by faith and told the good news ahead of time to Abraham,saying, All the nations will be blessed through you. So those who have faith are blessed with Abraham, who had faith.

Our source of justification is rooted in the covenant that God made with Abraham in Genesis 17 when he promised that ALL the nations would be blessed through him. Simply put, if we have faith in God, we have access to the same blessing of Abraham. 

If that isn't something to be thankful for this year I don't know what is.

How will you thank Him today?

We give thanks to you, O God; we give thanks to you, for your name is near. We recount your wondrous deeds. 
Let our souls bless the LORD, and let all that is within us bless his holy name; yes, let our souls bless the LORD and forget not all his benefits. (Psalm 75:1; 103:1-2)

Friday, November 18, 2016

Sometimes being wrong looks better than being right...

Last week in worship we laid the foundation for JUSTIFICATION. The idea that it is the gracious act of God by which God declares a sinner righteous.

If you remember the emphasis is on the act of declaration, on the judge declaring something just or unjust, righteous or unrighteous and that this act is a point in time, not a process.

This week starting in Galatians 3:1-5 we see three important lessons illustrated:

1) Every error is the distortion of some truth
2) The cross is the central truth of Christianity
3) The highest truths are spiritually discerned

The Galatian believers had fallen into a trap; they were as Paul stated "hypnotized" with their adherence to this false gospel narrative which the Judaizers had brought up and convinced them of.

Paul was absolutely correct in calling them "foolish," they had allowed men to come in and change the gospel message from one of Christ alone to one of Christ plus all this other stuff. We must guard or hearts and our minds such that we too do not fall into the same deceptive trap of Jesus plus.

The church in Galatia fell into this trap because they wanted to be looked upon favorably by the men who had come up from Jerusalem. They wanted to in a sense for others to look at them and declare just how holy or just how righteous they appeared to be. But that feeling of self-justification and in seeking that peer-justification is what caused them such trouble in the first place. Our justification is found in Christ alone. Not in our peers, not in our Facebook feeds, not in ourselves, but in Christ alone.

This week we have the joy of baptizing a young man who has come to the understanding that his faith and his salvation is found in Jesus alone. Not Jesus plus good works, not Jesus plus good behavior, not Jesus plus following Jewish laws or traditions. His faith is grounded in Christ Alone.Where is your faith grounded?

See you Sunday!


You foolish Galatians! Who has hypnotized you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was vividly portrayed as crucified? I only want to learn this from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now going to be made complete by the flesh? Did you suffer so much for nothing—if in fact it was for nothing? So then, does God supply you with the Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law or by hearing with faith? 
Galatians 3:1-5

Saturday, November 12, 2016

Christ in Conflict

Galatians 2 is an amazing chapter. In it, we have been presented the truth that it is only through faith in Christ that we are accepted before God.  There is something else which we learn from the interactions in the text; that is the proper way to handle conflict within the church. 

Conflict was brewing when Peter came to Antioch. Paul, rather than mumbling about it, or griping to Barnabas or his other disciples chooses to deal with the problem directly. Paul opposed Peter to his face in dealing with the hypocrisy which Peter was exhibiting. This picture is one of right belief with wrong behavior. In actuality, this is one of the most dramatic and tense episodes in all of the New Testament. A little context will help to explain. 

For centuries the Jews had kept strict dietary laws and other commandments which were intended to keep the Jews and the Gentiles from intermingling and the Jews becoming corrupted by their idolatry and immorality. This is why the religious establishment was shocked when Jesus ate with the tax collectors and sinners in Mark 2:16. For Peter, however, the change took place in Acts 10. Peter had a vision in Acts 10 in which God revealed to him that "God does not show favoritism, but in every nation, the person who fears him and does righteousness is acceptable to Him." 

Fast forward to Galatians 2, Peter has seemingly forsaken this understanding for the sake of appearances. He isn't teaching a contrary message, but he isn't living out the message he was claiming. His actions and his words weren't matching up. 

Enter Paul into the conversation. Paul deals with the problem by reminding Peter of the Truth He already knows. Paul demonstrated obedience to Scripture and love towards Peter by helping him to see the error in is actions. 

We need to strive to do the same. When we see someone who is not living the life that they claim they are we should address the problem directly with love. 

However, before you jump into a confrontation, study to know the truth, study to understand the truth and not just to construct a good argument from Scripture.

It is said that scripture is sharp as a two-edged sword. However, some who use the knife are surgeons and others are butchers.

We should all seek to be surgeons when it comes to using God's Word. 

See ya Sunday!  

Wednesday, November 02, 2016

From Terrorist to Evangelist: God didn't give up on Saul and He won't give up on you!

Wow, is the only thing that I can think to say and that's not even close to being sufficient when reviewing the life and works of a missionary by the name of Paul. When you see the scope of Paul's work, the letters he wrote, the churches he planted, the men and women whose lives were changed forever because of his faithfulness. I'm not sure there has ever been a more effective or a more prolific missionary for Christ than his servant Paul.

A man like this must surely have walked in close connection with Christ on earth right? Surely he was a part of Jesus' inner circle.

Not a chance. We know this based on the personal testimony we see here in Galatians 1:11-24 and the account in Acts 9 of a man by the name of Saul on the road to Damascus. Saul, an up and coming Pharisee, a pupil of the well-known Hebrew scholar Rabbi Gamaliel

Saul followed in his teacher's footsteps with his passion for the Torah, and his understanding and reverence of Yahweh.  This passion is why we are not surprised to see a young Saul with the coats of those stoning Stephen laid at his feet in Acts 7:58 and then are introduced to Saul the Persecutor in Acts 8. Saul was in his mind being obedient to the Holy Scriptures and as a result protecting the church. 

Having the completed picture we know better, we see Saul for the legalist that he was. That was until God got a hold of him. 

In Acts 9 Saul had a confrontation with Christ (who had already ascended to heaven at this point) while on the road to Damascus. Following this life changing experience Saul, whose name was changed by God to Paul dedicated his life to the spread of the good news of Jesus rather than the persecution of the followers of Christ. 

What does this all mean for us today? Well for starters it goes to show it doesn't matter who you are or what you have done God can still use you. 

Paul, before his conversion to Christianity, was a killer of Christians. He was by definition a terrorist. A religious extremist. But God brought him out of that life into a new life. God can do the same for you today! God wants to do the same for you if you would let him! Will you heed his call in your heart?

Hope to see ya Sunday!