Month: June 2011

  • FREE AT LAST [2]

    Freed Through Faith

    Galatians 2
    06/08/2011

    INTRO
    * How are you righteous before God?
    * Review: Freed By Grace... God’s pleasure in you is NOT based on your performance for Him
        > that truth is both FREEING & FRUSTRATING
        > we want to please God (2Cor 5:9)
        > BUT If His pleasure in us is not based on our performance for Him, HOW DO WE PLEASE HIM?

    1. Three Pictures...
    * vs 1-10 - A picture of LEGALISM... Right behavior with wrong BELIEF.
        > legalism = working to earn the favor of God... a good thing LINKED to a wrong belief, the belief that doing those things earns God’s favor.
    * vs 11-14 - A picture of HYPOCRISY... Right belief with wrong BEHAVIOR.
        > LOOKUP Acts 10
        > vs 14 = hypocrisy = believing the Gospel but not living in line with it
    * vs 15-21 - A picture of FAITH... Right belief AND right behavior.
        > key word? = FAITH (vs 16, 20)

    2. Faith Alone... vs 15-21
    A. Through faith in Christ Alone, we are ACCEPTED before God.
    * We are justified by faith (vs 16,17,21)
        > Martin Luther: the doctrine of justification by faith alone is “the article upon which the church stands or falls”
        > John Calvin: "it is the hinge upon which everything turns"
        > Charles Spurgeon: “Any church which puts in the place of justification by faith in Christ another method of salvation is a harlot church.”
        > The doctrine of justification by faith alone is the HEART of the gospel.
    * Justification is...
        > ...the GRACIOUS act of God...
            - vs 16c this is something God does (Rom 3:10-12, 23)
        > ...by which God DECLARES
            - justification is a legal term, a judge declares a verdict. IMPORTANT, justification is an ACT, NOT A PROCESS!
            - you cannot be justified “more” or “less”
        > ...a SINNER
            - God the judge, dealing with man the guilty criminal (Phil 3:8)
        > ... RIGHTEOUS
              - that the holy judge of the universe would look on me, a willful rebel, desiring my glory above His, idolatry in my heart, guilty... and say “Not guilty, righteous, innocent, accepted!”
            - but we ARE guilty... how does God do it? (and still be a just judge?)
        > ...solely on the basis of FAITH in Jesus Christ.
            - 2 Cor 5:21 “ He made the One who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him”
            - all the guilt, all the penalty, all the judgment, all the wrath, all the death you deserved, and He poured all that ON CHRIST
            - all the love, all that the Father is pleased with in the Son, His righteousness, His right standing, is poured out ON YOU.
            - thats why to try and ADD something to what Jesus has done is such an insult to the Gospel!

    * Heidelberg Catechism = Question 60 = How are you righteous before God? Answer = Only by a true faith in Jesus Christ; so that though my conscience accuse me, that I have grossly transgressed all the commandments of God, and kept none of them, and am still inclined to all evil; notwithstanding, God, without any merit of mine, but only of mere grace, grants and imputes to me, the perfect satisfaction, righteousness and holiness of Christ; even so, as if I never had had, nor committed any sin: yea, as if I had fully accomplished all that obedience which Christ has accomplished for me; inasmuch as I embrace such benefit with a believing heart.

    B. Through faith in Christ, we are ALIVE to God. vs 19-20
    * vs 19-20 NOW, We LIVE by faith. What if faith is not only just the only way we are accepted before God?, what if faith is also the only way we are able to live before God? What if Faith isn’t just a one time decision, what if Faith is central in every facet of our lives?
    * Paul has no room for the idea that once upon a time you pray some prayer and then your life looking the same after that... its not possible! Because we live by faith!
    * vs 20 Dead and Alive? How does this work to be crucified w/ Christ?
        > We die to SIN.
        > We die to OURSELVES. (no easy believism)
        > He COVERS our sin. (Rom 5:9)
        > He CHANGES our lives. (“been crucified” happened in the past with present, ongoing implications)
            - We are not in DEBT to Christ.
            - We are INDWELT by Christ!

    * What if the Christian life is not about you living for Christ? But Christ living for you, & in you, Him working His life out through you moment by moment and day by day. Living by faith every second.


    CONCLUSION
    * How do we live to please God? Not more of me, but more of Christ in me.
    * God’s pleasure in you is based on CHRIST’S performance for you.
        > He is PASSIONATE about YOU!... how do you know?...
        > He has PAID a price for YOU!


    Resources:
    David Platt's Galatians Sermon Series (primary)
    Mark Driscoll's Galatians Sermon Series
    John MacArthur's Galatians Commentary
    Warren Wiersbe's book "Be Free"



  • FREE AT LAST [1]

    Freed By Grace
    Galatians 1
    06/01/2011

    INTRO
    * consider all the religions of the world, tirelessly, endlessly trying to make peace with God. They have no concept of grace, of a God who makes peace with us. Grace is a revolutionary, radical concept. Our prideful, sinful, rebellious hearts think we can work our way to God. Grace says “No”, you cannot work your way to God & that is why He comes to rescue you. If we miss grace, we miss the whole point of the Bible and of the Gospel
    * Background info...
        > date: AD 50
        > author: Paul
        > theme: Freedom
        > reason: Written to affirm the centrality of Grace in the church, & to counteract legalistic tendencies creeping into the church. Judaizers had infiltrated the church and were false teachers that taught that in order to be saved you had to believe in Christ AND keep all the Jewish rules & regulations (lookup Acts 15:1,8-11)
    * Judaizers were basically LEGALISTS, and what they taught THEN is alive and well TODAY (in a different form). There are tendancies in the church today that CREEP in and try and ADD to the gospel of grace & undercut the foun dation of salvation
    * Each of us are recovering legalists. Secretly we think there is something we can do to be accepted by God. That if we read our bibles & pray God will love us more, & if we don’t He will love us less.


    1. LEGALISM DEFINED...
    A. WORKING IN OUR OWN POWER.
    * Trust in Christ, PLUS...
    * Saved by grace, PLUS living by our own strength
    B. WORKING ACCORDING TO OUR OWN RULES.
    * do “this” to be accepted by God (man made rules)
    * we obey Gods commands, but abandon our man-made rules
    C. WORKING TO EARN GOD’S FAVOR.
    * earning “credits” from God
    * Gods pleasure in you is NOT based on your performance for Him
    * vs 8-9 if ANYONE says the Gospel is anything but GRACE let them be CONDEMNED!
    * Martin Luther: “Wherefore, God assisting me, my forehead shall be more hard than all men’s foreheads.... Yea, I am glad even with all my heart, in this point to seem rebellious and obstinate. And here I confess that I am and ever will be stout and stern, and will not one inch give place to any creature... let this be the conclusion of all that we will suffer our goods to be taken away... Let this be the conclusion of all, that we will suffer our goods to be taken away, our name, our life, and all that we have, but the Gospel, our faith in Jesus Christ, we will never suffer to be wrested from us. Let every Christian here be proud and spare not, except he will deny Christ.”
    * How do we address this performance based mentality that creeps into our hearts and minds?...

    2. LEGALISM DESTROYED...
    A. TRUTH #1 THE GOSPEL IS FREE (vs 3-5)
    * Grace is Paul’s theme... 1:3, 15, 2:9, 21, 5:4, 6:18
    * Grace = Gods unmerited favor. The Gospel is free, salvation is free, mercy is free!
    * Gods pleasure in us is NOT based on our performance for Him, instead Gods pleasure in us is based on His performance on our behalf...
    * vs 4c GOD THE FATHER HAS INITIATED OUR SALVATION
        > vs 13-14 “I, I, I...”
        > vs 15-16 “but when GOD... pleased...”
        > vs 11-12 THE GOSPEL IS NOT INVENTED BY MAN
        > vs 12 THE GOSPEL IS REVEALED BY GOD
    * vs 4a GOD THE SON HAS ACCOMPLISHED OUR SALVATION
        > Christ has done everything necessary for our salvation. The gospel is not about what man can do, its all about what Christ HAS DONE. Jesus Paid it ALL.
        > WE INSULT THE GOSPEL WHEN WE ADD TO GRACE.
        > WE MISUNDERSTAND THE GOSPEL WHEN WE CHEAPEN GRACE
            - Gal 2:14 there is a way of life that is IN LINE w/ the Gospel
            - we don’t suggest that b/c of grace we can live in sin, not a license to sin, not lawlessness
            - Faith produces works
        > WE MAGNIFY THE GOSPEL WHEN WE TRUST IN GRACE

    B. TRUTH #2 THE GOSPEL IS FREEING (vs 4)
    * Rescued from the power & dominion of the world. A gospel of rescue, freedom from bondage
    * We dont get saved and leave grace behind, we live by grace, we pray by grace, we read our Bible by grace
    * BY HIS GRACE, WE ARE FREE FROM SIN IN THIS WORLD
    * BY HIS GRACE, WE ARE FREE TO SHARE WITH THIS WORLD
        > Why was Paul saved?... (vs 16) so that he would be a proclaimer of Grace among the nations!
        > Why are we born in a nation where the Gospel is so readily available? By His grace, to rescue us, and to PROCLAIM it to the nations.

    CONCLUSION
    * if you have been trying to work your way to heaven... if you have been trying to keep all kinds of man made rules to make a way to God... I HAVE GOOD NEWS FOR YOU, God has made a way to you!
    * God has come to you in the person of Jesus Christ, not based on what you have done, but based on His grace, and he can rescue you and give you peace with God.
    * Grace is not CHEAP, but it is FREE
    * Grace is available in Jesus... ALONE, not Jesus PLUS


    Resources:
    David Platt's Galatians Sermon Series (primary)
    Mark Driscoll's Galatians Sermon Series
    John MacArthur's Galatians Commentary
    Warren Wiersbe's book "Be Free"


  • BAPTIST DISTINCTIVES

    I recently finished a teaching series on "What is a Baptist?", also known as the Baptist Distinctives and I taught the following 11 points...

    B iblical Authority
    A utonomy of the Local Church
    P riesthood of the Believer
    T wo Ordinances: Baptism & The Lords Supper
    I ndividual Soul Liberty
    S aved, Baptized Church Membership
    T wo Offices: Elder (Pastor) & Deacon
    S eperation of Church & State & Security of Salvation

    I think this list is both biblical & helpful, however I recently read something by Baptist historian Walter B. Shurden that I think really boils it down even more to the 4 core issues that differentiate a Baptist church. They are entitled "The Four Freedoms"...

    THE FOUR FREEDOMS

    SOUL freedom: the soul is competent before God, and capable of making decisions in matters of faith without coercion or compulsion by any larger religious or civil body

    BIBLE freedom: the individual is free to interpret the Bible for himself or herself, using the best tools of scholarship and biblical study available to the individual

    CHURCH freedom: freedom of the local church from outside interference, whether government or civilian (subject only to the law where it does not interfere with the religious teachings and practices of the church)

    RELIGIOUS freedom: the individual is free to choose whether to practice their religion, another religion, or no religion; Separation of church and state is often called the "civil corollary" of religious freedom