1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:04,580 Now the title for this series is Grasping the Gospel. 2 00:00:04,580 –> 00:00:07,200 I’ve chosen that title for two reasons. 3 00:00:08,160 –> 00:00:10,780 First, because it really does describe 4 00:00:10,780 –> 00:00:12,120 what Galatians is all about. 5 00:00:12,120 –> 00:00:13,980 It’s about grasping the Gospel. 6 00:00:14,780 –> 00:00:17,080 But second, because grasping the Gospel 7 00:00:17,080 –> 00:00:21,959 really is of first importance for us in the church today. 8 00:00:23,879 –> 00:00:27,600 Earlier this year, we began speaking 9 00:00:27,760 –> 00:00:30,000 about more for the Gospel. 10 00:00:31,040 –> 00:00:33,599 And it became evident, after awhile, 11 00:00:33,599 –> 00:00:38,480 that some of us associate the word Gospel 12 00:00:38,480 –> 00:00:43,360 very narrowly with the initial act of becoming a Christian. 13 00:00:44,560 –> 00:00:46,779 So if that’s what you were thinking, 14 00:00:46,779 –> 00:00:48,939 then for you to hear more for the Gospel 15 00:00:48,939 –> 00:00:51,639 would have sounded like something about evangelism, 16 00:00:51,639 –> 00:00:54,959 altar calls, and making decisions for Christ. 17 00:00:55,860 –> 00:00:59,799 That led some people to assume that more for the Gospel 18 00:00:59,799 –> 00:01:03,740 would mean less for those who were already Christians, 19 00:01:03,740 –> 00:01:05,760 and that in some way the Church would no longer 20 00:01:05,760 –> 00:01:09,480 be interested in Christian growth or in spiritual maturity. 21 00:01:09,480 –> 00:01:12,120 I have to tell you, nothing could be further 22 00:01:12,120 –> 00:01:14,379 from the truth. 23 00:01:14,379 –> 00:01:16,720 It’s therefore important that together 24 00:01:16,720 –> 00:01:19,379 we have a biblical understanding 25 00:01:19,379 –> 00:01:22,059 of the meaning of this word Gospel. 26 00:01:22,059 –> 00:01:23,879 What is the Gospel? 27 00:01:23,879 –> 00:01:28,720 How does it work in the life of Christian believers today? 28 00:01:28,720 –> 00:01:30,559 Well, that is what this series 29 00:01:30,559 –> 00:01:32,980 over these next Sundays is all about, 30 00:01:33,879 –> 00:01:35,260 and I want you to notice straight away 31 00:01:35,260 –> 00:01:37,459 in verse two of Galatians chapter one, 32 00:01:37,459 –> 00:01:39,480 I hope you’ll have it open in front of you, 33 00:01:39,480 –> 00:01:42,639 that this letter is written to Christian believers. 34 00:01:42,639 –> 00:01:44,160 Very important to grasp that. 35 00:01:44,160 –> 00:01:48,500 It’s written to the Churches, verse two, in Galatia. 36 00:01:48,500 –> 00:01:50,720 So everything that we’re reading in Galatians, 37 00:01:50,720 –> 00:01:53,860 it’s not about evangelizing unbelievers. 38 00:01:53,860 –> 00:01:56,839 He is teaching the church. 39 00:01:56,839 –> 00:01:59,199 He is teaching us. 40 00:01:59,199 –> 00:02:02,120 He’s speaking directly to a community of believers 41 00:02:02,120 –> 00:02:05,320 and he’s speaking about the way in which the gospel 42 00:02:05,320 –> 00:02:09,479 shapes the Church as it shapes the lives 43 00:02:09,479 –> 00:02:13,000 of those who are Christian believers. 44 00:02:14,039 –> 00:02:16,679 Now, this morning I want simply to attempt two things. 45 00:02:16,679 –> 00:02:19,279 The first is to introduce the letter 46 00:02:19,279 –> 00:02:22,199 in a general kind of way so that we are oriented to it 47 00:02:22,199 –> 00:02:24,800 and I hope we’ll see its relevance 48 00:02:24,800 –> 00:02:27,279 and therefore have our appetite whetted 49 00:02:27,279 –> 00:02:29,240 to study it further. 50 00:02:29,240 –> 00:02:30,419 And then having introduced it, 51 00:02:30,419 –> 00:02:33,479 I want to focus on the main theme of Chapter 1, 52 00:02:33,479 –> 00:02:38,000 which is that the gospel is from God. 53 00:02:38,000 –> 00:02:39,539 Now, notice right away, 54 00:02:39,539 –> 00:02:41,160 at the beginning of the letter, 55 00:02:41,160 –> 00:02:43,839 we have just a marvelous summary of the gospel. 56 00:02:43,839 –> 00:02:46,440 We’ve noticed several times in recent months 57 00:02:47,179 –> 00:02:48,020 and I know you keep coming across 58 00:02:48,020 –> 00:02:51,800 these marvelous little statements in the New Testament 59 00:02:51,800 –> 00:02:53,339 that give us kind of headlines 60 00:02:53,339 –> 00:02:56,679 of what the gospel is and present it freshly to us. 61 00:02:56,679 –> 00:02:59,460 And we have that in verses three and four. 62 00:02:59,460 –> 00:03:01,759 Grace and peace to you from God the Father 63 00:03:01,759 –> 00:03:04,000 and the Lord Jesus Christ, 64 00:03:04,000 –> 00:03:07,339 who gave himself for our sins 65 00:03:07,339 –> 00:03:10,919 to rescue us from the present evil age 66 00:03:10,919 –> 00:03:15,320 according to the will of our God and Father. 67 00:03:15,360 –> 00:03:18,059 Now, notice straight away these two dimensions 68 00:03:18,059 –> 00:03:19,399 of the one gospel. 69 00:03:20,419 –> 00:03:25,259 It is about what Christ did for us on the cross. 70 00:03:25,259 –> 00:03:27,940 He gave himself for our sins. 71 00:03:28,860 –> 00:03:32,860 But it is also about what Christ does for us 72 00:03:32,860 –> 00:03:36,339 through his Spirit, that is he rescues us 73 00:03:36,339 –> 00:03:38,300 from the present evil age. 74 00:03:38,300 –> 00:03:43,300 And these two are wound together inseparably in the gospel. 75 00:03:43,419 –> 00:03:46,800 The gospel, in other words, is about what Jesus Christ 76 00:03:46,800 –> 00:03:49,979 did for us 2,000 years ago on the cross, 77 00:03:49,979 –> 00:03:52,619 but it is equally about what Jesus Christ does for us 78 00:03:52,619 –> 00:03:56,300 now today in all that we are facing in our lives 79 00:03:56,300 –> 00:03:58,520 by the power of his Holy Spirit. 80 00:03:58,520 –> 00:04:02,740 In other words, the gospel is more than forgiveness 81 00:04:02,740 –> 00:04:04,539 and an entrance into heaven. 82 00:04:07,240 –> 00:04:10,339 It is about the ongoing work of Christ 83 00:04:10,419 –> 00:04:13,419 by his Spirit in your life today. 84 00:04:13,419 –> 00:04:15,619 To put that in theological terms, 85 00:04:15,619 –> 00:04:18,980 the gospel is as much about your sanctification 86 00:04:18,980 –> 00:04:21,720 as it is about your justification. 87 00:04:22,720 –> 00:04:25,739 Now I found this well-expressed in a statement 88 00:04:25,739 –> 00:04:27,980 by Pastor Tim Keller that might be worth 89 00:04:27,980 –> 00:04:31,140 just getting into our minds to frame it simply. 90 00:04:31,140 –> 00:04:35,880 He said this, the gospel is not just about the ABC’s, 91 00:04:36,519 –> 00:04:41,519 but about the A to Z of the Christian life. 92 00:04:42,760 –> 00:04:44,600 Now that gets to the main point here, 93 00:04:44,600 –> 00:04:46,100 some of us have lived with the idea 94 00:04:46,100 –> 00:04:49,359 that the gospel is the ABC, repent, believe, 95 00:04:49,359 –> 00:04:51,920 been there, done that, and so forth and so on. 96 00:04:51,920 –> 00:04:54,640 We think of it simply in initial terms. 97 00:04:54,640 –> 00:04:56,359 We think of it as forgiveness of sins, 98 00:04:56,359 –> 00:04:58,679 entrance into heaven, Jesus died on the cross. 99 00:04:58,679 –> 00:05:02,140 And Pastor Tim Keller is rightly reflecting 100 00:05:02,140 –> 00:05:04,079 the teaching of Galatians and the whole 101 00:05:04,079 –> 00:05:05,839 of the New Testament saying no that is 102 00:05:05,839 –> 00:05:08,119 not the way in which the gospel is used 103 00:05:08,119 –> 00:05:09,880 in the New Testament, it’s not just 104 00:05:09,880 –> 00:05:13,600 the ABC’s, it is the A to Z, it involves 105 00:05:13,600 –> 00:05:15,540 your justification, your sanctification, 106 00:05:15,540 –> 00:05:17,880 your glorification, every other effication 107 00:05:17,880 –> 00:05:19,519 that you can find in the New Testament 108 00:05:19,519 –> 00:05:23,100 is all brought together in this great theme 109 00:05:23,100 –> 00:05:25,899 of the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ. 110 00:05:25,899 –> 00:05:27,679 What he did for you on the cross, 111 00:05:27,679 –> 00:05:29,600 what he does in you by the spirit 112 00:05:29,600 –> 00:05:31,100 that he died for your sins, 113 00:05:31,100 –> 00:05:35,980 that he lives and he lives to advance 114 00:05:35,980 –> 00:05:39,980 all of the purpose of God in you and through you. 115 00:05:41,200 –> 00:05:43,739 Now our difficulty in grasping 116 00:05:43,739 –> 00:05:46,019 the gospel is not a new problem. 117 00:05:46,880 –> 00:05:49,859 The fact that there’s confusion about this 118 00:05:49,859 –> 00:05:51,480 in the church shouldn’t surprise us 119 00:05:51,480 –> 00:05:53,959 because that’s exactly why Galatians was written. 120 00:05:55,559 –> 00:05:59,579 These early believers had come to Christ, 121 00:05:59,600 –> 00:06:02,420 they had found forgiveness of sins. 122 00:06:03,339 –> 00:06:04,880 They knew and believed that they would have 123 00:06:04,880 –> 00:06:07,839 entrance into heaven on this basis. 124 00:06:08,700 –> 00:06:10,779 But within a short time of the Apostle Paul 125 00:06:10,779 –> 00:06:12,980 moving on from the area of Galatia 126 00:06:12,980 –> 00:06:15,679 these believers were saying, well now what next? 127 00:06:17,339 –> 00:06:19,619 In their minds the gospel was about beginnings 128 00:06:19,619 –> 00:06:22,059 and endings but had little or nothing 129 00:06:22,059 –> 00:06:25,579 to say with the middle and so they were saying 130 00:06:25,579 –> 00:06:27,440 in their minds now I know I’m forgiven 131 00:06:28,299 –> 00:06:31,459 and I believe that I’m going to go to heaven when I die 132 00:06:31,459 –> 00:06:35,019 but my question is how do I get through next week? 133 00:06:35,019 –> 00:06:36,459 Now does that sound familiar? 134 00:06:37,660 –> 00:06:40,239 So I think that’s where a lot of Christians are today. 135 00:06:41,779 –> 00:06:43,940 And it’s not surprising therefore you see 136 00:06:43,940 –> 00:06:48,859 that some Christian entrepreneurs came into Galatia 137 00:06:48,859 –> 00:06:51,619 almost as soon as Paul left it 138 00:06:51,619 –> 00:06:54,200 and their message was along these lines, 139 00:06:54,200 –> 00:06:56,959 you know it’s great that you folks have become Christians 140 00:06:57,519 –> 00:07:00,100 and so glad you’ve received the message of the Apostle Paul 141 00:07:00,100 –> 00:07:02,440 but of course now we need to keep you moving forward 142 00:07:02,440 –> 00:07:04,359 and what we want to do is we want to give you 143 00:07:04,359 –> 00:07:06,519 what you really need in order to live 144 00:07:06,519 –> 00:07:09,079 an effective Christian life in this world. 145 00:07:11,100 –> 00:07:12,839 Now the problem with the false teachers 146 00:07:12,839 –> 00:07:16,619 was not that they said that Paul’s message was false. 147 00:07:16,619 –> 00:07:18,619 What they said was it was inadequate. 148 00:07:19,519 –> 00:07:22,200 They did not question its truth 149 00:07:22,200 –> 00:07:26,119 but they did question its sufficiency 150 00:07:26,119 –> 00:07:30,059 and again I think that’s where many of us struggle today. 151 00:07:31,279 –> 00:07:34,760 We believe that Jesus died for our sins 152 00:07:34,760 –> 00:07:36,799 but we’re not sure that he’s able 153 00:07:36,799 –> 00:07:40,100 to deliver us from the present evil age, right? 154 00:07:41,559 –> 00:07:42,940 We’re glad to be forgiven 155 00:07:42,940 –> 00:07:44,700 and to be confident that we are bound for heaven 156 00:07:44,700 –> 00:07:48,359 when we die but we feel that we need something more 157 00:07:49,880 –> 00:07:51,679 to face the challenges of this life 158 00:07:51,679 –> 00:07:53,519 because the questions we’re facing are, 159 00:07:53,519 –> 00:07:55,559 you know, how do I face this loneliness? 160 00:07:56,200 –> 00:07:57,040 How do I face this difficulty, 161 00:07:57,040 –> 00:07:58,420 how do I walk through this grief? 162 00:07:58,420 –> 00:07:59,820 How do I live under this pressure? 163 00:07:59,820 –> 00:08:02,279 How do I find confidence? 164 00:08:04,079 –> 00:08:06,239 And if we think that Christ is for the beginning 165 00:08:06,239 –> 00:08:09,540 and the end the rest of our lives will be one long search 166 00:08:09,540 –> 00:08:11,640 to find out what to do to fill the middle. 167 00:08:16,359 –> 00:08:18,399 And of course that struggle that is felt 168 00:08:18,399 –> 00:08:21,420 in individual Christian hearts 169 00:08:21,420 –> 00:08:24,220 becomes reflected in the life of the church. 170 00:08:25,119 –> 00:08:27,440 Christian people are looking for something 171 00:08:27,440 –> 00:08:32,239 and so the focus begins to move away from Jesus Christ 172 00:08:33,239 –> 00:08:34,880 and the discussion centers around 173 00:08:34,880 –> 00:08:36,239 now how do we as a church meet 174 00:08:36,239 –> 00:08:38,479 the deep needs of people’s lives? 175 00:08:39,900 –> 00:08:43,119 That, of course, is the wrong question for the church. 176 00:08:44,700 –> 00:08:46,599 I mean, do we really think that we 177 00:08:47,440 –> 00:08:51,119 can meet the deep needs of people’s lives? 178 00:08:54,479 –> 00:08:58,919 See, if you are looking to the church to be your savior, 179 00:08:58,919 –> 00:09:00,719 you will be desperately disappointed 180 00:09:02,119 –> 00:09:04,760 and the church that in any way slides into saying 181 00:09:04,760 –> 00:09:09,080 or the teaching that slides into saying look to us 182 00:09:09,080 –> 00:09:10,979 in order to meet the deep needs of your life 183 00:09:10,979 –> 00:09:15,059 has slipped right into the Galatian Error 184 00:09:15,059 –> 00:09:16,500 that we’re going to be learning about 185 00:09:16,500 –> 00:09:19,099 over these next Sunday mornings. 186 00:09:20,520 –> 00:09:22,400 So the message of Galatians then 187 00:09:22,440 –> 00:09:24,940 is about the sufficiency 188 00:09:25,799 –> 00:09:30,239 and therefore the centrality of Jesus Christ, 189 00:09:30,239 –> 00:09:33,820 not only for the forgiveness of your sins 190 00:09:33,820 –> 00:09:37,260 and for your ultimate entrance into Heaven, 191 00:09:37,260 –> 00:09:42,200 but also for everything that you are facing in your life now 192 00:09:42,200 –> 00:09:45,039 this coming week, this coming month, 193 00:09:45,039 –> 00:09:47,280 and every day from here until the day 194 00:09:47,280 –> 00:09:49,380 when you see him face-to-face. 195 00:09:50,280 –> 00:09:53,440 This is why Paul says in Galatians Chapter 2 and Verse 20, 196 00:09:53,440 –> 00:09:54,739 probably the best-known verse 197 00:09:54,739 –> 00:09:56,260 in the whole of this wonderful letter, 198 00:09:56,260 –> 00:09:58,900 he says, I’ve been crucified with Christ 199 00:09:58,900 –> 00:09:59,919 and I no longer live, 200 00:09:59,919 –> 00:10:04,219 but Christ lives in me, you see this is gospel. 201 00:10:04,219 –> 00:10:08,640 The life I live, I live my faith in the Son of God 202 00:10:08,640 –> 00:10:11,039 who loved me and gave himself for me. 203 00:10:11,039 –> 00:10:12,099 See what Paul’s saying? 204 00:10:12,099 –> 00:10:14,640 This is how I’m living my life now, 205 00:10:15,500 –> 00:10:17,659 right now in everything that I’m facing, 206 00:10:17,659 –> 00:10:20,799 I’m living it by faith in the Son of God 207 00:10:20,799 –> 00:10:22,539 who loved me and gave himself for me 208 00:10:22,539 –> 00:10:24,659 and everything else hangs on that. 209 00:10:26,599 –> 00:10:28,080 It’s how I live. 210 00:10:29,719 –> 00:10:30,979 Now these are going to be the things 211 00:10:30,979 –> 00:10:33,119 that we’re learning and exploring together 212 00:10:33,119 –> 00:10:35,500 from this marvelous letter to Galatians. 213 00:10:35,500 –> 00:10:39,140 I hope that quite soothes appetite. 214 00:10:39,140 –> 00:10:41,059 I hope it makes you feel, 215 00:10:41,059 –> 00:10:43,460 boy, this letter really does speak 216 00:10:43,460 –> 00:10:47,280 to one of the primary challenges of church world today. 217 00:10:49,979 –> 00:10:53,419 Is Jesus Christ enough for your life? 218 00:10:55,020 –> 00:10:56,140 Not just for your forgiveness 219 00:10:56,140 –> 00:10:57,359 and your entrance into heaven, 220 00:10:57,359 –> 00:10:59,299 is he enough for your life 221 00:10:59,299 –> 00:11:03,940 in everything that you face today, tomorrow, 222 00:11:05,020 –> 00:11:06,859 and every day that lies ahead of you? 223 00:11:08,659 –> 00:11:10,440 And on our convictions on this point, 224 00:11:10,479 –> 00:11:13,299 what will hang the dynamic of the life of the church? 225 00:11:17,099 –> 00:11:20,780 Now if we are going to stake our life on the gospel, 226 00:11:21,900 –> 00:11:26,119 then we need to have a very, very high degree of confidence 227 00:11:26,119 –> 00:11:27,880 that it is indeed true. 228 00:11:29,080 –> 00:11:31,659 And that takes us to the main theme 229 00:11:31,659 –> 00:11:33,780 of Galatians in Chapter One, 230 00:11:33,780 –> 00:11:37,000 which I want to focus on in the time that we have. 231 00:11:37,880 –> 00:11:41,280 Where did the gospel come from? 232 00:11:41,280 –> 00:11:43,159 That’s a very important question. 233 00:11:44,000 –> 00:11:47,179 If you’re going to stake your time, 234 00:11:47,179 –> 00:11:50,640 the investment of your life, and your eternity, 235 00:11:50,640 –> 00:11:52,859 if you’re going to stake the very way 236 00:11:52,859 –> 00:11:57,200 in which you live life itself on the gospel, 237 00:11:57,200 –> 00:11:59,719 then you need to have a very high degree 238 00:11:59,719 –> 00:12:02,299 of confidence about its authenticity. 239 00:12:03,440 –> 00:12:04,599 So let’s ask this question, 240 00:12:04,599 –> 00:12:06,159 where did the gospel come from? 241 00:12:07,559 –> 00:12:12,559 And there are three different answers 242 00:12:13,140 –> 00:12:15,380 that are offered in the world today, 243 00:12:15,380 –> 00:12:17,780 and all of them are addressed here in Galatians. 244 00:12:19,559 –> 00:12:23,359 There are those more radical teachers 245 00:12:23,359 –> 00:12:26,000 who will say to us that essentially 246 00:12:26,000 –> 00:12:28,039 what we find out in the New Testament 247 00:12:28,039 –> 00:12:32,340 was the creation of Paul. 248 00:12:34,340 –> 00:12:35,880 There are those who will teach 249 00:12:35,940 –> 00:12:38,299 that it is essentially 250 00:12:38,299 –> 00:12:42,419 the developed, morphing, changing of the church. 251 00:12:44,739 –> 00:12:46,580 And then there is the teaching 252 00:12:46,580 –> 00:12:48,400 that we have of the Apostle Paul here 253 00:12:48,400 –> 00:12:51,059 where he states very clearly it is 254 00:12:51,059 –> 00:12:56,000 the revelation of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 255 00:12:57,119 –> 00:12:59,659 Now I want us to focus in on verse 11 and 12 here 256 00:12:59,659 –> 00:13:02,460 as we look at how Paul directly addresses 257 00:13:02,460 –> 00:13:04,440 these three themes. 258 00:13:04,460 –> 00:13:06,739 Where did the gospel come from? 259 00:13:06,739 –> 00:13:11,539 Number one, the gospel did not come from Paul. 260 00:13:13,159 –> 00:13:15,299 That’s a statement worth writing down 261 00:13:15,299 –> 00:13:18,380 because the debates around this these days 262 00:13:18,380 –> 00:13:20,000 really go quite deep. 263 00:13:20,880 –> 00:13:22,559 The gospel did not come from Paul 264 00:13:22,559 –> 00:13:24,659 and I’m looking here at verse 11. 265 00:13:24,659 –> 00:13:27,200 I want you to know brothers, 266 00:13:27,200 –> 00:13:30,419 you sense the earnestness and the weight in his heart here. 267 00:13:30,419 –> 00:13:32,840 I want you to know brothers 268 00:13:32,840 –> 00:13:35,179 that the gospel I preached 269 00:13:35,179 –> 00:13:39,320 is not something that man made up. 270 00:13:41,520 –> 00:13:42,619 Now this is crucial 271 00:13:44,659 –> 00:13:48,179 because if Paul invented the gospel 272 00:13:50,099 –> 00:13:53,900 or if his teaching is a kind of personalized version 273 00:13:53,900 –> 00:13:56,260 or slant on the gospel, 274 00:13:57,599 –> 00:14:00,700 then number one, we can have no confidence about its truth. 275 00:14:00,700 –> 00:14:02,359 Number two, we have no obligation 276 00:14:02,440 –> 00:14:03,260 to submit to it. 277 00:14:03,260 –> 00:14:06,200 Number three, we have every liberty to disagree with it 278 00:14:08,179 –> 00:14:09,159 if he made it up. 279 00:14:11,299 –> 00:14:15,059 John Stott quotes an example of this kind of perspective 280 00:14:15,059 –> 00:14:17,059 from a writer, H.A. Williams. 281 00:14:17,059 –> 00:14:18,500 Listen to what he says. 282 00:14:19,500 –> 00:14:22,640 “‘St. Paul and St. John were men 283 00:14:22,640 –> 00:14:25,460 “‘of like passions to ourselves. 284 00:14:26,320 –> 00:14:29,460 “‘However great their inspiration,’ William says, 285 00:14:29,479 –> 00:14:34,479 “‘being human, their inspiration was not even or uniform, 286 00:14:34,599 –> 00:14:36,239 “‘for with their inspiration went 287 00:14:36,239 –> 00:14:39,059 “‘that degree of psychopathology 288 00:14:39,059 –> 00:14:42,460 “‘which is the common lot of all men. 289 00:14:42,460 –> 00:14:46,340 “‘They too had their inner axes to grind 290 00:14:46,340 –> 00:14:48,859 “‘of which they were unaware. 291 00:14:49,900 –> 00:14:51,460 “‘What therefore they tell us 292 00:14:51,460 –> 00:14:55,919 “‘must have a self-authenticating quality like music. 293 00:14:55,919 –> 00:14:58,919 “‘If it doesn’t, we must be prepared 294 00:14:59,039 –> 00:15:04,039 “‘to refuse it, we must have the courage to disagree.’” 295 00:15:04,500 –> 00:15:08,000 Now, that’s a statement of H.A. Williams. 296 00:15:09,000 –> 00:15:11,640 Now, you see what he’s saying? 297 00:15:11,640 –> 00:15:13,179 All human beings have their inner 298 00:15:13,179 –> 00:15:16,219 psychological axes to grind. 299 00:15:16,219 –> 00:15:19,059 Most of us aren’t aware even of what they are. 300 00:15:19,059 –> 00:15:23,940 Paul was like that too, and therefore if what he says 301 00:15:23,940 –> 00:15:26,099 isn’t like music to our ear, 302 00:15:26,099 –> 00:15:28,080 if it doesn’t have that self-authenticating quality, 303 00:15:28,200 –> 00:15:30,260 we must be at liberty to disagree. 304 00:15:31,000 –> 00:15:32,580 You see, when you hear people say, 305 00:15:32,580 –> 00:15:34,400 well, of course, Paul didn’t like women. 306 00:15:34,400 –> 00:15:35,020 what are they saying? 307 00:15:35,020 –> 00:15:38,280 They’re saying exactly what H.A. Williams is saying, 308 00:15:38,280 –> 00:15:41,419 sort of psychopathology and inner axe to grind. 309 00:15:41,419 –> 00:15:42,760 we can’t trust what he says there 310 00:15:42,760 –> 00:15:44,479 because, obviously he’s got a slant. 311 00:15:47,479 –> 00:15:49,619 And increasingly, the same things are being said 312 00:15:49,619 –> 00:15:51,580 about the apostle Paul’s statements 313 00:15:51,580 –> 00:15:53,419 on the grace of the gospel, 314 00:15:53,419 –> 00:15:55,619 that this was, in some way, a reaction 315 00:15:55,619 –> 00:15:57,859 to his pharisaical background, 316 00:15:57,859 –> 00:16:00,539 and you have to understand where he was coming from. 317 00:16:05,580 –> 00:16:06,719 Now, 318 00:16:06,719 –> 00:16:09,020 these things start in the academy, 319 00:16:10,340 –> 00:16:13,039 but, they percolate down to the church. 320 00:16:15,299 –> 00:16:16,419 And, 321 00:16:16,419 –> 00:16:18,979 we’re most interested in what they look like 322 00:16:18,979 –> 00:16:20,580 when they percolate down to the church. 323 00:16:20,580 –> 00:16:21,799 let me tell you what it looks like 324 00:16:21,799 –> 00:16:24,580 when you percolate down to the church. 325 00:16:24,580 –> 00:16:26,219 If we go down this road, 326 00:16:26,239 –> 00:16:28,859 what happens is 327 00:16:28,859 –> 00:16:31,539 that the church becomes increasingly shaped 328 00:16:31,539 –> 00:16:33,320 around discussion groups 329 00:16:33,320 –> 00:16:37,400 in which we share our insights today. 330 00:16:38,340 –> 00:16:39,179 Why? 331 00:16:39,179 –> 00:16:42,299 Because the Bible’s just Paul’s insights, then. 332 00:16:42,299 –> 00:16:43,640 And, what’s really important is, 333 00:16:43,640 –> 00:16:45,299 What do you see in this today? 334 00:16:46,380 –> 00:16:49,020 Or, how do you react to Paul? 335 00:16:49,020 –> 00:16:50,940 What do you feel about this? 336 00:16:51,960 –> 00:16:54,159 What sounds like music to your ears? 337 00:16:54,159 –> 00:16:56,840 What has a self-authenticating quality to you? 338 00:16:58,719 –> 00:16:59,820 Now, this is one of the ways 339 00:16:59,820 –> 00:17:02,919 in which you can discern a biblical church 340 00:17:03,880 –> 00:17:07,000 from a church that is drifting. 341 00:17:07,000 –> 00:17:08,619 Paul never says to the Galatians 342 00:17:08,619 –> 00:17:09,979 that they’d lost the truth, 343 00:17:09,979 –> 00:17:11,160 but he quite clearly says, 344 00:17:11,160 –> 00:17:12,880 he uses present continuing tense, 345 00:17:12,880 –> 00:17:14,520 he says that you are drifting. 346 00:17:14,520 –> 00:17:15,359 You are drifting, 347 00:17:15,359 –> 00:17:17,459 and you need to be called back to the gospel. 348 00:17:19,880 –> 00:17:21,739 If the focus, 349 00:17:21,739 –> 00:17:23,660 if the focus of interest 350 00:17:23,680 –> 00:17:24,760 in church life 351 00:17:25,800 –> 00:17:28,760 around understanding and applying the message 352 00:17:28,760 –> 00:17:31,479 that Christ gave to the apostles, 353 00:17:32,359 –> 00:17:34,420 or is the center of interest 354 00:17:34,420 –> 00:17:37,959 on our sharing our insights today? 355 00:17:40,280 –> 00:17:42,739 Now, when the discussion begins to revolve around you know, 356 00:17:42,739 –> 00:17:44,199 what’s your idea of the gospel 357 00:17:44,199 –> 00:17:46,000 and what sounds like good news to you, 358 00:17:46,000 –> 00:17:47,199 you know that the church 359 00:17:47,199 –> 00:17:49,239 is drifting away from the apostolic gospel 360 00:17:49,239 –> 00:17:51,619 and is happening widely in our own time. 361 00:17:52,160 –> 00:17:54,939 And what happens when that is the case 362 00:17:54,939 –> 00:17:57,420 is that the church ceases to be 363 00:17:57,420 –> 00:18:00,859 a community proclaiming good news 364 00:18:00,859 –> 00:18:03,380 and rather becomes a community 365 00:18:03,380 –> 00:18:06,680 that invites others to share with us our journey. 366 00:18:08,280 –> 00:18:11,319 And of course as Paul says in verse seven, 367 00:18:11,319 –> 00:18:12,900 that is no gospel at all. 368 00:18:14,099 –> 00:18:15,760 What is the good news in being able to say 369 00:18:15,760 –> 00:18:17,219 come and share our search? 370 00:18:17,239 –> 00:18:18,060 No. 371 00:18:20,180 –> 00:18:22,900 Come and chip your insights in along with ours. 372 00:18:24,719 –> 00:18:25,780 It’s not the gospel. 373 00:18:27,579 –> 00:18:29,819 It’s no gospel at all. 374 00:18:29,819 –> 00:18:31,819 How’d you live on that? 375 00:18:34,140 –> 00:18:36,339 Now notice the clarity of the Apostle Paul 376 00:18:36,339 –> 00:18:38,459 speaking into this confusion, 377 00:18:38,459 –> 00:18:39,660 and that’s the word that he uses 378 00:18:39,660 –> 00:18:40,819 in Galatians chapter one. 379 00:18:40,819 –> 00:18:42,140 Some are confusing you. 380 00:18:42,140 –> 00:18:44,800 He says I want you to know brothers, 381 00:18:44,800 –> 00:18:46,180 feel the earnestness of this. 382 00:18:46,180 –> 00:18:47,140 Because it’s so important. 383 00:18:47,920 –> 00:18:48,719 I want you to know brothers 384 00:18:48,719 –> 00:18:50,160 that the gospel I preached 385 00:18:50,160 –> 00:18:52,520 is not something man-made up. 386 00:18:56,160 –> 00:18:57,739 It’s not a human invention, 387 00:18:57,739 –> 00:18:59,020 it’s not my slant, 388 00:18:59,020 –> 00:19:00,839 that’s what he’s saying. 389 00:19:00,839 –> 00:19:03,079 And just to make this abundantly clear, 390 00:19:03,079 –> 00:19:04,979 in verse 13 he goes on to say 391 00:19:04,979 –> 00:19:07,599 that he had spent much of his life 392 00:19:07,599 –> 00:19:09,540 opposing the gospel, 393 00:19:09,540 –> 00:19:10,719 so the very idea 394 00:19:10,719 –> 00:19:12,199 that having opposed the gospel 395 00:19:12,199 –> 00:19:15,880 for years that Paul had somehow invented the gospel 396 00:19:15,979 –> 00:19:18,140 is truly extraordinary. 397 00:19:18,140 –> 00:19:19,239 Being its enemy, 398 00:19:19,239 –> 00:19:21,920 he could hardly have invented it. 399 00:19:24,199 –> 00:19:27,040 The gospel did not come from Paul. 400 00:19:28,660 –> 00:19:29,500 Second, 401 00:19:31,140 –> 00:19:34,400 the gospel did not come from the church. 402 00:19:36,739 –> 00:19:38,160 Look at verse 12. 403 00:19:39,339 –> 00:19:40,160 He has said, 404 00:19:40,160 –> 00:19:41,000 I want you to know brothers 405 00:19:41,000 –> 00:19:42,160 that the gospel I preached 406 00:19:42,160 –> 00:19:44,959 is not something that man-made up. 407 00:19:45,040 –> 00:19:46,699 I did not receive it 408 00:19:48,359 –> 00:19:49,359 from any man 409 00:19:51,060 –> 00:19:52,719 nor was I taught it. 410 00:19:54,560 –> 00:19:56,680 I didn’t receive it. 411 00:19:56,680 –> 00:19:58,260 I wasn’t taught it. 412 00:19:59,800 –> 00:20:00,619 Now of course, 413 00:20:00,619 –> 00:20:02,520 this whole subject became strangely topical 414 00:20:02,520 –> 00:20:03,760 for us earlier this year 415 00:20:03,760 –> 00:20:06,219 in this whole business of the Da Vinci Code. 416 00:20:06,219 –> 00:20:07,380 Remember that? 417 00:20:08,300 –> 00:20:09,420 And what was the point of this book 418 00:20:09,420 –> 00:20:10,839 the Da Vinci Code? 419 00:20:10,839 –> 00:20:12,560 The assumption of the book the Da Vinci Code 420 00:20:12,560 –> 00:20:14,280 was that the gospel 421 00:20:14,739 –> 00:20:17,959 is the tradition of the church. 422 00:20:17,959 –> 00:20:20,000 That it has been distorted 423 00:20:20,000 –> 00:20:22,000 and that it has been manipulated 424 00:20:22,000 –> 00:20:25,260 in the interest of those who hold power. 425 00:20:26,359 –> 00:20:28,939 And again you hear this sort of thing quite often. 426 00:20:28,939 –> 00:20:31,780 I hear it often in opportunities 427 00:20:31,780 –> 00:20:33,520 that I have to try and speak 428 00:20:33,520 –> 00:20:35,020 with other folks about the gospel. 429 00:20:35,020 –> 00:20:36,560 Here’s one of the lines I often hear. 430 00:20:36,560 –> 00:20:38,819 Well, of course, you can’t trust the Bible 431 00:20:38,819 –> 00:20:41,540 because the Bible was written by the church. 432 00:20:41,540 –> 00:20:42,859 You heard that one? 433 00:20:43,079 –> 00:20:45,280 The Bible can’t get the Bible. 434 00:20:45,280 –> 00:20:48,660 Of course, that’s a great way of avoiding its authority 435 00:20:48,660 –> 00:20:50,479 because if the church wrote the Bible, 436 00:20:50,479 –> 00:20:51,420 there’s no reason in the world 437 00:20:51,420 –> 00:20:52,699 why anyone today should submit 438 00:20:52,699 –> 00:20:55,560 to it let alone believe it. 439 00:20:57,219 –> 00:20:59,760 No, if the church wrote the Bible, 440 00:20:59,760 –> 00:21:03,219 then the task of each generation in the church 441 00:21:03,219 –> 00:21:05,819 would be to adapt that teaching 442 00:21:05,819 –> 00:21:07,219 from previous generations 443 00:21:07,219 –> 00:21:08,780 to honor the inheritance, 444 00:21:08,780 –> 00:21:10,040 but then to find a way in which 445 00:21:10,040 –> 00:21:11,420 it fits most appropriately 446 00:21:11,420 –> 00:21:14,140 into the needs of our own day. 447 00:21:16,219 –> 00:21:18,339 And there are wide areas of the church 448 00:21:18,339 –> 00:21:20,000 that believe precisely that. 449 00:21:22,219 –> 00:21:23,819 Now Paul makes it quite clear, 450 00:21:23,819 –> 00:21:24,619 I want you to know brothers, 451 00:21:24,619 –> 00:21:25,900 that the Gospel I received 452 00:21:25,900 –> 00:21:27,819 is not something that man made up, 453 00:21:27,819 –> 00:21:29,859 I did not receive it from any man 454 00:21:29,859 –> 00:21:31,280 nor was I taught it. 455 00:21:33,180 –> 00:21:36,319 It did not come to me from the church. 456 00:21:36,319 –> 00:21:38,040 It isn’t a matter of a tradition 457 00:21:38,040 –> 00:21:39,900 that was passed on to me. 458 00:21:42,140 –> 00:21:43,380 It is therefore not something 459 00:21:43,380 –> 00:21:45,760 to be adapted or changed. 460 00:21:45,760 –> 00:21:46,699 I find it helpful to keep 461 00:21:46,699 –> 00:21:49,239 this little couplet in my mind, 462 00:21:49,239 –> 00:21:51,219 and you might find this useful as well 463 00:21:51,219 –> 00:21:52,619 that it is not the church 464 00:21:52,619 –> 00:21:53,719 that creates the Gospel, 465 00:21:53,719 –> 00:21:56,680 it is the Gospel that creates the Church. 466 00:21:56,680 –> 00:21:57,719 Now that’s worth remembering, 467 00:21:57,719 –> 00:21:58,599 just putting it simply, 468 00:21:58,599 –> 00:22:01,020 remember that’s true in Acts in chapter two. 469 00:22:01,020 –> 00:22:03,219 How did the church come into being? 470 00:22:03,219 –> 00:22:04,380 Through the Gospel. 471 00:22:04,380 –> 00:22:06,140 Peter gets up and he declares the Gospel, 472 00:22:06,140 –> 00:22:07,819 3,000 people are saved 473 00:22:07,819 –> 00:22:09,380 and the first church is formed. 474 00:22:09,380 –> 00:22:10,920 The church has it’s genesis 475 00:22:10,939 –> 00:22:11,939 from the Gospel, 476 00:22:11,939 –> 00:22:12,739 not the other way around, 477 00:22:12,739 –> 00:22:14,680 it’s very important to understand that. 478 00:22:14,680 –> 00:22:16,180 How should a church be planted? 479 00:22:16,180 –> 00:22:17,160 Around the Gospel. 480 00:22:18,819 –> 00:22:20,900 It is the Gospel that creates the Church, 481 00:22:20,900 –> 00:22:22,900 not the Church that creates the Gospel. 482 00:22:25,239 –> 00:22:27,459 I want you to know this, Paul says 483 00:22:28,739 –> 00:22:30,500 I did not receive it from any man 484 00:22:30,500 –> 00:22:34,219 nor was I taught it. 485 00:22:34,219 –> 00:22:35,619 Now I actually find this helpful 486 00:22:35,619 –> 00:22:37,680 to use in conversation 487 00:22:37,680 –> 00:22:39,300 with folks who are not persuaded 488 00:22:39,300 –> 00:22:40,500 about Christianity. 489 00:22:41,459 –> 00:22:44,079 And you might find this helpful too to say, 490 00:22:44,079 –> 00:22:48,300 You know, if I thought that this was just 491 00:22:50,599 –> 00:22:53,040 Paul’s view, I wouldn’t feel bound 492 00:22:53,040 –> 00:22:54,680 to believe it for one minute. 493 00:22:57,260 –> 00:22:59,599 And if I thought this was just 494 00:22:59,599 –> 00:23:01,199 the tradition of the Church 495 00:23:01,199 –> 00:23:02,880 and it had been manipulated down 496 00:23:02,880 –> 00:23:03,900 through the centuries, 497 00:23:03,900 –> 00:23:05,339 I wouldn’t find any reason 498 00:23:05,339 –> 00:23:07,500 to submit myself to it at all, 499 00:23:07,500 –> 00:23:09,739 I’m much too independent a thinker for that. 500 00:23:11,800 –> 00:23:16,300 And the reason why I felt compelled 501 00:23:16,300 –> 00:23:17,939 to take this seriously 502 00:23:17,939 –> 00:23:19,339 is that the claim of the Gospel 503 00:23:19,339 –> 00:23:20,540 is that it does not come 504 00:23:20,540 –> 00:23:23,479 simply from the genesis of some human author 505 00:23:23,479 –> 00:23:25,739 or from some institutional tradition, 506 00:23:27,780 –> 00:23:29,839 but it comes from the highest authority, 507 00:23:29,839 –> 00:23:31,280 Jesus Christ. 508 00:23:32,079 –> 00:23:33,560 And that is why it is worthy 509 00:23:33,560 –> 00:23:35,959 of your serious consideration. 510 00:23:36,619 –> 00:23:37,819 Because if it were actually true 511 00:23:37,819 –> 00:23:40,099 that it came from Him, 512 00:23:40,099 –> 00:23:41,819 that’s a whole different thing. 513 00:23:44,959 –> 00:23:46,199 Now notice that Paul states this 514 00:23:46,199 –> 00:23:48,359 absolutely clearly. 515 00:23:48,359 –> 00:23:50,000 Verse 12, 516 00:23:50,000 –> 00:23:51,300 Want you to know, brothers, 517 00:23:51,300 –> 00:23:52,300 the Gospel I received 518 00:23:52,300 –> 00:23:53,800 is not something that man made up. 519 00:23:53,800 –> 00:23:55,239 I did not receive it from any man, 520 00:23:55,239 –> 00:23:56,219 nor was I taught it. 521 00:23:56,219 –> 00:23:59,819 Rather I received it by revelation 522 00:23:59,819 –> 00:24:03,520 from Jesus Christ. 523 00:24:03,540 –> 00:24:06,979 Jesus Christ. 524 00:24:06,979 –> 00:24:08,239 In other words, the Gospel came 525 00:24:08,239 –> 00:24:11,520 from the highest authority. 526 00:24:11,520 –> 00:24:13,319 Paul’s Gospel came to him, 527 00:24:13,319 –> 00:24:16,859 he says, directly by revelation 528 00:24:16,859 –> 00:24:18,760 from Jesus Christ. 529 00:24:22,699 –> 00:24:25,459 The apostles made no mistakes 530 00:24:25,459 –> 00:24:26,760 in what they were given 531 00:24:26,760 –> 00:24:29,800 to say by Christ. 532 00:24:29,800 –> 00:24:31,239 They made no error 533 00:24:31,239 –> 00:24:33,479 in the revelation they received 534 00:24:33,880 –> 00:24:35,199 and recorded for us 535 00:24:35,199 –> 00:24:37,079 in the Scripture. 536 00:24:37,079 –> 00:24:38,219 Now, it’s important 537 00:24:38,219 –> 00:24:39,800 to be clear here, by the way. 538 00:24:39,800 –> 00:24:42,479 We do not claim 539 00:24:42,479 –> 00:24:43,420 that the apostles 540 00:24:43,420 –> 00:24:45,219 never made any mistakes 541 00:24:45,219 –> 00:24:46,160 or that in some way 542 00:24:46,160 –> 00:24:47,160 they were perfect 543 00:24:47,160 –> 00:24:48,119 or that they were above 544 00:24:48,119 –> 00:24:49,520 any sin or any struggle. 545 00:24:49,520 –> 00:24:50,959 We do not make that claim. 546 00:24:50,959 –> 00:24:52,020 The apostles would not 547 00:24:52,020 –> 00:24:53,400 have claimed that themselves. 548 00:24:53,400 –> 00:24:54,459 In fact, we’ll see next week 549 00:24:54,459 –> 00:24:55,920 in Galatians, chapter two, 550 00:24:55,920 –> 00:24:57,319 there was a very important point 551 00:24:57,319 –> 00:24:58,540 in the New Testament story 552 00:24:58,540 –> 00:25:00,000 where Paul opposed 553 00:25:00,000 –> 00:25:01,359 Peter face-to-face 554 00:25:01,359 –> 00:25:02,160 because he said 555 00:25:02,160 –> 00:25:03,420 Peter was to blame. 556 00:25:03,420 –> 00:25:04,400 There was an issue 557 00:25:04,400 –> 00:25:06,260 in which Peter acted 558 00:25:06,260 –> 00:25:08,099 inconsistently with his own message 559 00:25:08,099 –> 00:25:10,599 and Paul called him on it. 560 00:25:10,599 –> 00:25:11,719 And Paul, himself, 561 00:25:11,719 –> 00:25:13,199 speaks so clearly 562 00:25:13,199 –> 00:25:16,500 about his own inner struggles 563 00:25:16,500 –> 00:25:17,359 in the book of Romans 564 00:25:17,359 –> 00:25:20,239 and chapter seven. 565 00:25:20,239 –> 00:25:21,400 So we do not claim 566 00:25:21,400 –> 00:25:22,859 some kind of perfection 567 00:25:22,859 –> 00:25:24,000 for the apostles. 568 00:25:24,000 –> 00:25:25,520 What we do claim 569 00:25:25,520 –> 00:25:26,560 is that their message 570 00:25:26,560 –> 00:25:28,119 was not their own 571 00:25:28,119 –> 00:25:29,479 bu that they received it 572 00:25:29,479 –> 00:25:30,540 by revelation 573 00:25:30,540 –> 00:25:32,239 from Jesus Christ 574 00:25:32,239 –> 00:25:33,660 and that in that revelation 575 00:25:33,660 –> 00:25:35,599 that was given by Jesus Christ 576 00:25:35,599 –> 00:25:37,459 and recorded by them, 577 00:25:37,459 –> 00:25:40,160 they made no mistakes 578 00:25:40,160 –> 00:25:43,640 because it came from Him. 579 00:25:43,640 –> 00:25:46,160 I received it by revelation 580 00:25:46,160 –> 00:25:48,560 from Jesus Christ. 581 00:25:48,560 –> 00:25:51,839 So we can confidently affirm 582 00:25:51,839 –> 00:25:52,959 on this basis 583 00:25:52,959 –> 00:25:54,959 that the message of Paul 584 00:25:54,959 –> 00:25:57,380 is the message of Jesus. 585 00:25:57,579 –> 00:26:00,160 For I’ve received it by revelation 586 00:26:00,160 –> 00:26:02,839 from Jesus Christ. 587 00:26:02,839 –> 00:26:05,880 That is what he is saying. 588 00:26:05,880 –> 00:26:07,420 Many disagree with that to date 589 00:26:07,420 –> 00:26:10,479 but that is what he is saying 590 00:26:10,479 –> 00:26:12,619 and it is there that we take our stand. 591 00:26:12,619 –> 00:26:14,359 Now I want us to see 592 00:26:14,359 –> 00:26:18,780 how important this is. 593 00:26:18,780 –> 00:26:22,400 See, if our problem 594 00:26:22,400 –> 00:26:26,439 was simply internal to us, 595 00:26:26,880 –> 00:26:29,079 then human traditions 596 00:26:29,079 –> 00:26:30,900 or even a message that was humanly 597 00:26:30,900 –> 00:26:34,680 created might be a some value. 598 00:26:34,680 –> 00:26:35,959 But the problem that’s addressed 599 00:26:35,959 –> 00:26:38,619 by the gospel is bigger 600 00:26:38,619 –> 00:26:40,060 than our finding peace 601 00:26:40,060 –> 00:26:41,079 or building confidence 602 00:26:41,079 –> 00:26:42,380 or overcoming fear 603 00:26:42,380 –> 00:26:45,400 or finding fulfillment. 604 00:26:45,400 –> 00:26:47,920 If the problems were just internal to us, 605 00:26:47,920 –> 00:26:49,280 then we might find an answer 606 00:26:49,280 –> 00:26:50,520 from a scientist, 607 00:26:50,520 –> 00:26:51,819 or a psychologist, 608 00:26:51,819 –> 00:26:53,040 or a chemist 609 00:26:53,040 –> 00:26:54,640 or maybe even a theologian 610 00:26:54,780 –> 00:26:56,579 or perhaps best a friend 611 00:26:56,579 –> 00:26:59,819 or a spouse 612 00:26:59,819 –> 00:27:01,199 But the problem addressed 613 00:27:01,199 –> 00:27:01,939 by the gospel 614 00:27:01,939 –> 00:27:03,839 is that the planet 615 00:27:03,839 –> 00:27:07,099 is under the wrath of God. 616 00:27:07,099 –> 00:27:10,140 That’s not an internal problem. 617 00:27:10,140 –> 00:27:13,579 It’s much bigger. 618 00:27:13,579 –> 00:27:15,979 That’s why a message 619 00:27:15,979 –> 00:27:16,760 that was invented 620 00:27:16,760 –> 00:27:18,420 by some man called Paul 621 00:27:18,420 –> 00:27:19,079 would be of no use 622 00:27:19,079 –> 00:27:20,599 or a tradition that was created 623 00:27:20,599 –> 00:27:21,979 by the institution of the church 624 00:27:21,979 –> 00:27:23,739 would be of no value 625 00:27:23,739 –> 00:27:24,579 because it would still 626 00:27:24,579 –> 00:27:25,260 leave us with 627 00:27:25,260 –> 00:27:25,920 a problem that 628 00:27:25,920 –> 00:27:27,020 is beyond ourselves 629 00:27:27,020 –> 00:27:27,660 that the planet 630 00:27:27,660 –> 00:27:31,900 is under the judgment of God. 631 00:27:31,900 –> 00:27:32,380 And of course, 632 00:27:32,380 –> 00:27:33,199 that is the point 633 00:27:33,199 –> 00:27:35,060 of Paul’s extraordinary language, 634 00:27:35,060 –> 00:27:36,140 which I’m sure you noticed 635 00:27:36,140 –> 00:27:38,560 in verses 8 and 9. 636 00:27:38,560 –> 00:27:39,020 He says, 637 00:27:39,020 –> 00:27:39,680 Even if we, 638 00:27:39,680 –> 00:27:40,859 an angel from heaven, 639 00:27:40,859 –> 00:27:42,000 should preach a gospel 640 00:27:42,000 –> 00:27:42,660 other than the one 641 00:27:42,660 –> 00:27:43,619 we preach to you, 642 00:27:43,619 –> 00:27:45,300 let him be eternally condemned. 643 00:27:45,300 –> 00:27:46,420 And then he repeats that 644 00:27:46,420 –> 00:27:47,859 he includes himself. 645 00:27:47,859 –> 00:27:48,699 Even if I was 646 00:27:48,699 –> 00:27:49,780 preaching something else, 647 00:27:49,780 –> 00:27:50,900 if there was some other message 648 00:27:50,900 –> 00:27:51,839 that I made up, 649 00:27:51,959 –> 00:27:56,719 I’d be under the curse. 650 00:27:56,719 –> 00:27:57,479 Because there’s no 651 00:27:57,479 –> 00:27:58,839 other way out 652 00:27:58,839 –> 00:28:00,680 from under the curse of God 653 00:28:00,680 –> 00:28:01,359 except that 654 00:28:01,359 –> 00:28:05,040 which comes from God. 655 00:28:05,040 –> 00:28:07,020 If our problem is with God, 656 00:28:07,020 –> 00:28:08,359 then the only solution 657 00:28:08,359 –> 00:28:09,000 is a message 658 00:28:09,000 –> 00:28:12,079 that clearly comes from God. 659 00:28:12,079 –> 00:28:12,680 And that is why 660 00:28:12,680 –> 00:28:13,979 the gospel is good news. 661 00:28:13,979 –> 00:28:16,219 It is from Jesus Christ. 662 00:28:16,219 –> 00:28:16,959 It comes from 663 00:28:16,959 –> 00:28:18,520 the highest authority, 664 00:28:18,520 –> 00:28:19,040 and therefore, 665 00:28:19,040 –> 00:28:20,040 we can stake our life 666 00:28:20,719 –> 00:28:24,400 on it. 667 00:28:24,400 –> 00:28:26,359 October 1963. 668 00:28:26,359 –> 00:28:29,359 Some of you remember. 669 00:28:30,640 –> 00:28:34,859 The world was on the brink 670 00:28:34,859 –> 00:28:36,119 of nuclear war. 671 00:28:36,119 –> 00:28:36,979 The Soviet Union 672 00:28:36,979 –> 00:28:38,219 had introduced 673 00:28:38,219 –> 00:28:39,199 nuclear missiles 674 00:28:39,199 –> 00:28:40,800 into Cuba. 675 00:28:40,800 –> 00:28:41,520 President Kennedy 676 00:28:41,520 –> 00:28:42,400 had responded 677 00:28:42,400 –> 00:28:43,760 with a shipping blockade 678 00:28:43,760 –> 00:28:45,140 and for thirteen days 679 00:28:45,140 –> 00:28:46,239 the world held 680 00:28:46,239 –> 00:28:47,439 its breath 681 00:28:47,439 –> 00:28:48,359 in a crisis 682 00:28:48,359 –> 00:28:51,140 unparalleled before or since. 683 00:28:53,079 –> 00:28:55,079 The height of the crisis. 684 00:28:56,319 –> 00:28:57,339 There were several meetings 685 00:28:57,339 –> 00:28:58,280 between a man called 686 00:28:58,280 –> 00:28:59,680 Alexander Fomin 687 00:29:01,339 –> 00:29:02,099 who was the top 688 00:29:02,099 –> 00:29:03,560 Russian intelligence officer 689 00:29:03,560 –> 00:29:04,839 in Washington 690 00:29:04,839 –> 00:29:07,420 and a man called John Scalley 691 00:29:07,420 –> 00:29:10,219 Who was a diplomatic reporter 692 00:29:10,219 –> 00:29:12,319 for ABC News. 693 00:29:12,939 –> 00:29:14,900 And Fomin proposed 694 00:29:14,900 –> 00:29:16,939 to Scalley 695 00:29:16,939 –> 00:29:17,760 on behalf of 696 00:29:17,760 –> 00:29:18,619 the Russian government 697 00:29:18,619 –> 00:29:19,400 that the Russians 698 00:29:19,400 –> 00:29:20,359 would remove missiles 699 00:29:20,359 –> 00:29:21,500 from Cuba in return 700 00:29:21,500 –> 00:29:23,040 for an American pledge 701 00:29:23,040 –> 00:29:24,000 not to invade. 702 00:29:24,000 –> 00:29:25,000 And Scalley 703 00:29:25,000 –> 00:29:26,439 of course was then trusted 704 00:29:26,439 –> 00:29:27,219 with communicating 705 00:29:27,219 –> 00:29:28,339 this to the White House 706 00:29:28,339 –> 00:29:29,439 and was immediately 707 00:29:29,439 –> 00:29:31,780 ushered in to a direct 708 00:29:31,780 –> 00:29:33,660 hearing with President Kennedy. 709 00:29:34,959 –> 00:29:36,339 And Pierre Salinger 710 00:29:36,339 –> 00:29:38,339 in his fascinating book 711 00:29:38,339 –> 00:29:39,780 records the story. 712 00:29:41,099 –> 00:29:42,380 Fomin’s proposal 713 00:29:42,380 –> 00:29:43,180 for Scalley 714 00:29:43,180 –> 00:29:43,660 he says, 715 00:29:43,660 –> 00:29:45,160 was an acceptable basis 716 00:29:45,160 –> 00:29:45,839 for the settlement 717 00:29:45,839 –> 00:29:46,800 of the crisis. 718 00:29:47,160 –> 00:29:47,819 And Scalley 719 00:29:47,819 –> 00:29:48,719 was instructed 720 00:29:48,719 –> 00:29:49,619 by the President 721 00:29:49,619 –> 00:29:50,859 to convey that message 722 00:29:50,859 –> 00:29:51,579 to the Russian 723 00:29:51,920 –> 00:29:53,199 but without attributing it 724 00:29:53,199 –> 00:29:54,780 to JFK. 725 00:29:55,660 –> 00:29:56,540 Then um 726 00:29:56,540 –> 00:29:57,280 Salinger 727 00:29:57,280 –> 00:29:58,939 quotes Scalley’s memo 728 00:29:58,939 –> 00:30:00,839 coming back to the President. 729 00:30:00,839 –> 00:30:02,420 Imagine the drama of this. 730 00:30:03,140 –> 00:30:04,959 At 7.35pm 731 00:30:04,959 –> 00:30:06,859 October 26th 732 00:30:06,859 –> 00:30:09,040 I met Fomin 733 00:30:09,040 –> 00:30:10,900 in the Statler Hotel Lobby 734 00:30:10,900 –> 00:30:12,000 as per his suggestion 735 00:30:12,000 –> 00:30:12,800 and we went 736 00:30:12,800 –> 00:30:14,420 to the coffee shop 737 00:30:14,420 –> 00:30:15,780 in the hotel to talk. 738 00:30:15,800 –> 00:30:16,760 Can you imagine 739 00:30:16,760 –> 00:30:18,119 the fate of the world 740 00:30:18,119 –> 00:30:19,000 in one sense 741 00:30:19,000 –> 00:30:20,680 hanging around this conversation 742 00:30:20,680 –> 00:30:22,040 in a coffee shop? 743 00:30:23,319 –> 00:30:24,219 I told him 744 00:30:24,219 –> 00:30:25,420 I had reason to believe 745 00:30:25,420 –> 00:30:27,020 that the U.S. government 746 00:30:27,020 –> 00:30:28,400 sees real possibilities 747 00:30:28,400 –> 00:30:29,880 in this, that is the proposal. 748 00:30:30,979 –> 00:30:32,000 He listened 749 00:30:32,000 –> 00:30:33,060 very attentively 750 00:30:33,060 –> 00:30:34,260 and then asked 751 00:30:34,260 –> 00:30:35,839 whether my information 752 00:30:35,839 –> 00:30:38,000 came from high sources. 753 00:30:39,260 –> 00:30:40,500 I told him 754 00:30:40,500 –> 00:30:41,719 the information 755 00:30:41,719 –> 00:30:44,219 came from the highest sources 756 00:30:44,560 –> 00:30:46,359 in the United States government. 757 00:30:48,079 –> 00:30:49,359 He asked a second time 758 00:30:49,359 –> 00:30:50,459 if I were 759 00:30:50,459 –> 00:30:51,680 absolutely sure 760 00:30:51,680 –> 00:30:53,920 it came from the highest sources. 761 00:30:53,920 –> 00:30:54,939 I reiterated 762 00:30:54,939 –> 00:30:56,160 this a second time. 763 00:30:57,560 –> 00:30:58,459 He said that 764 00:30:58,459 –> 00:30:59,540 if the information 765 00:30:59,540 –> 00:31:00,640 did not come from 766 00:31:00,640 –> 00:31:01,959 the highest sources. 767 00:31:01,959 –> 00:31:03,439 You get his point. 768 00:31:03,439 –> 00:31:04,680 And he reported it 769 00:31:04,680 –> 00:31:05,599 he would be made to look 770 00:31:05,599 –> 00:31:06,439 like a fool 771 00:31:06,439 –> 00:31:07,719 at a very critical time, 772 00:31:07,719 –> 00:31:08,699 probably worse. 773 00:31:09,560 –> 00:31:11,079 I replied 774 00:31:11,079 –> 00:31:11,920 that I would be 775 00:31:11,920 –> 00:31:13,140 the most irresponsible man 776 00:31:13,140 –> 00:31:13,979 in the world. 777 00:31:14,900 –> 00:31:16,160 If I lied about something 778 00:31:16,160 –> 00:31:17,000 as important 779 00:31:17,000 –> 00:31:17,839 at this 780 00:31:17,839 –> 00:31:19,939 very critical time. 781 00:31:24,619 –> 00:31:25,959 Now the gospel is about 782 00:31:25,959 –> 00:31:27,319 peace with God, 783 00:31:28,359 –> 00:31:29,560 power for life 784 00:31:30,699 –> 00:31:32,199 and the eternal destiny 785 00:31:32,199 –> 00:31:33,739 of all men and all women. 786 00:31:37,380 –> 00:31:38,339 It has to come 787 00:31:38,339 –> 00:31:40,339 from the highest authority 788 00:31:41,300 –> 00:31:43,140 or we have no business 789 00:31:43,859 –> 00:31:44,800 of sharing our own opinions 790 00:31:44,800 –> 00:31:46,859 on such critical issues 791 00:31:46,859 –> 00:31:47,719 as these. 792 00:31:51,819 –> 00:31:53,280 That’s what the apostle is saying. 793 00:31:53,280 –> 00:31:54,520 Now look, 794 00:31:54,520 –> 00:31:56,180 you can hang your life on this 795 00:31:56,180 –> 00:31:57,439 because it doesn’t come from me, 796 00:31:57,439 –> 00:31:59,219 it’s not a tradition of the church, 797 00:31:59,219 –> 00:32:01,160 it came by a revelation from Jesus Christ, 798 00:32:01,160 –> 00:32:03,300 you can stake your life upon it. 799 00:32:04,400 –> 00:32:05,479 Now here’s the application 800 00:32:05,479 –> 00:32:06,319 very quickly. 801 00:32:08,420 –> 00:32:09,260 Number one, 802 00:32:10,280 –> 00:32:12,020 our responsibility 803 00:32:12,020 –> 00:32:13,079 to take the gospel 804 00:32:13,920 –> 00:32:14,760 to the world. 805 00:32:16,339 –> 00:32:19,660 See if the gospel 806 00:32:19,660 –> 00:32:21,819 was simply our tradition, 807 00:32:23,579 –> 00:32:25,640 we have no right to spread it 808 00:32:25,640 –> 00:32:26,540 around the world. 809 00:32:27,880 –> 00:32:28,719 And you know that is what 810 00:32:28,719 –> 00:32:29,640 many sociologists, 811 00:32:29,640 –> 00:32:30,500 anthropologists, 812 00:32:30,500 –> 00:32:31,339 have been arguing 813 00:32:31,339 –> 00:32:32,680 as a case against world mission 814 00:32:32,680 –> 00:32:33,699 for a long time. 815 00:32:33,699 –> 00:32:34,540 They’re saying, 816 00:32:34,540 –> 00:32:35,380 now look, 817 00:32:35,380 –> 00:32:36,199 other cultures 818 00:32:36,199 –> 00:32:37,959 have their own constructs, 819 00:32:37,959 –> 00:32:39,119 and their own religions, 820 00:32:39,119 –> 00:32:41,560 and their own sacredness. 821 00:32:41,560 –> 00:32:43,140 And what right do we Westerners 822 00:32:43,140 –> 00:32:44,079 have to invade 823 00:32:44,079 –> 00:32:45,339 and so forth and so on. 824 00:32:45,339 –> 00:32:46,579 And I think that we have to say 825 00:32:46,579 –> 00:32:47,420 that if the gospel 826 00:32:47,420 –> 00:32:49,280 were simply a western tradition 827 00:32:49,280 –> 00:32:50,520 or a human invention, 828 00:32:50,520 –> 00:32:52,099 we would have no right 829 00:32:52,099 –> 00:32:54,020 to take it to the whole world. 830 00:32:54,020 –> 00:32:55,459 We would be obliged 831 00:32:55,459 –> 00:32:56,800 to respect the integrity 832 00:32:56,800 –> 00:32:57,619 of other cultures 833 00:32:57,619 –> 00:32:58,599 with their own traditions 834 00:32:58,599 –> 00:33:00,060 and leave them alone. 835 00:33:00,060 –> 00:33:01,140 And it would be arrogance 836 00:33:01,140 –> 00:33:02,359 to do anything else. 837 00:33:02,359 –> 00:33:03,280 If the gospel 838 00:33:03,280 –> 00:33:04,839 is simply our tradition, 839 00:33:04,839 –> 00:33:06,140 we have no right 840 00:33:06,140 –> 00:33:06,979 to spread it 841 00:33:06,979 –> 00:33:07,880 to the rest of the world. 842 00:33:07,880 –> 00:33:10,239 But if it is God’s revelation, 843 00:33:10,239 –> 00:33:11,079 we have no right 844 00:33:11,099 –> 00:33:13,099 to keep it to ourselves. 845 00:33:16,579 –> 00:33:19,079 So, the very basis 846 00:33:19,079 –> 00:33:21,040 of world mission rests here. 847 00:33:22,780 –> 00:33:24,380 I did not make it up. 848 00:33:24,380 –> 00:33:27,420 It is not a tradition of the church. 849 00:33:28,459 –> 00:33:29,680 It’s by direct revelation 850 00:33:29,680 –> 00:33:31,400 of Jesus Christ. 851 00:33:31,400 –> 00:33:32,439 Word of God. 852 00:33:35,719 –> 00:33:36,839 And the second application 853 00:33:36,839 –> 00:33:37,660 is very obviously 854 00:33:37,660 –> 00:33:38,920 this, our responsibility 855 00:33:38,920 –> 00:33:41,400 to guard the gospel in the church. 856 00:33:43,339 –> 00:33:44,180 Notice by the way, 857 00:33:44,180 –> 00:33:45,640 that Paul doesn’t write an epistle 858 00:33:45,640 –> 00:33:46,880 to the false teachers. 859 00:33:46,880 –> 00:33:47,719 I think that would have been 860 00:33:47,719 –> 00:33:48,939 a waste of time. 861 00:33:50,839 –> 00:33:51,959 He does not write 862 00:33:51,959 –> 00:33:53,979 an epistle to the false teachers. 863 00:33:53,979 –> 00:33:55,939 He writes an epistle 864 00:33:55,939 –> 00:33:57,880 to folks in the pew, 865 00:33:57,880 –> 00:33:58,939 if I can use that phrase, 866 00:33:58,939 –> 00:34:01,280 to ordinary Christians, 867 00:34:01,280 –> 00:34:04,119 to the church community at large. 868 00:34:04,119 –> 00:34:05,640 And he assumes 869 00:34:05,640 –> 00:34:08,280 that we will have the ability 870 00:34:08,280 –> 00:34:10,060 to discern truth from error 871 00:34:10,060 –> 00:34:11,120 and that we the church 872 00:34:11,120 –> 00:34:13,239 will exercise that responsibility. 873 00:34:13,239 –> 00:34:14,060 And you know, 874 00:34:14,060 –> 00:34:15,800 professors of theology 875 00:34:15,800 –> 00:34:17,639 have a huge responsibility. 876 00:34:19,719 –> 00:34:21,620 And pastors and elders 877 00:34:21,620 –> 00:34:23,300 have a huge responsibility. 878 00:34:25,919 –> 00:34:27,800 But Paul’s primary concern here 879 00:34:27,800 –> 00:34:29,800 with the guarding of the gospel 880 00:34:29,800 –> 00:34:31,000 is in his appeal 881 00:34:31,000 –> 00:34:32,500 to ordinary Christians 882 00:34:32,500 –> 00:34:35,520 because the best defense against error 883 00:34:35,520 –> 00:34:37,120 is a congregation 884 00:34:37,120 –> 00:34:38,620 that is grounded in the truth. 885 00:34:41,739 –> 00:34:42,699 So I wonder if we’re taking 886 00:34:42,699 –> 00:34:44,320 that responsibility seriously 887 00:34:44,320 –> 00:34:47,679 to guard the gospel in the church 888 00:34:47,679 –> 00:34:50,600 and to take the gospel to the world. 889 00:34:50,600 –> 00:34:51,820 They both follow directly 890 00:34:51,820 –> 00:34:53,139 from our convictions 891 00:34:54,239 –> 00:34:55,879 about what the gospel is. 892 00:34:57,840 –> 00:34:58,659 And here finally 893 00:34:58,659 –> 00:35:01,439 is the personal application for us. 894 00:35:03,139 –> 00:35:05,080 Maybe that someone in the congregation 895 00:35:05,080 –> 00:35:05,899 this morning, 896 00:35:06,320 –> 00:35:07,340 you’re somewhat at a distance 897 00:35:07,340 –> 00:35:08,179 from these things. 898 00:35:08,179 –> 00:35:09,419 You haven’t found a place 899 00:35:09,419 –> 00:35:10,979 to land on them yet. 900 00:35:14,379 –> 00:35:16,379 The application of this to you 901 00:35:16,379 –> 00:35:18,580 is clear, you cannot bring yourself 902 00:35:18,580 –> 00:35:20,540 into a relationship with God. 903 00:35:20,540 –> 00:35:22,780 There’s nothing that you can come up with, 904 00:35:22,780 –> 00:35:23,820 that you can invent. 905 00:35:25,020 –> 00:35:26,739 No experience or discipline 906 00:35:26,739 –> 00:35:28,239 or generosity or integrity 907 00:35:28,239 –> 00:35:29,080 or compassion 908 00:35:29,080 –> 00:35:30,479 or good works of yours 909 00:35:30,479 –> 00:35:31,379 that come from you 910 00:35:31,379 –> 00:35:33,580 are going to resolve the problem with God. 911 00:35:34,459 –> 00:35:35,639 That’s futile. 912 00:35:38,659 –> 00:35:39,600 You can’t bring yourself 913 00:35:39,600 –> 00:35:41,020 into a relationship with God 914 00:35:41,020 –> 00:35:42,739 and the church can’t bring you 915 00:35:42,739 –> 00:35:44,780 into a relationship with God. 916 00:35:44,780 –> 00:35:46,939 Church can teach you the Bible. 917 00:35:46,939 –> 00:35:48,100 Church can offer you alpha you friendship, 918 00:35:48,100 –> 00:35:49,540 support, encouragement and love, 919 00:35:49,540 –> 00:35:50,820 but the church cannot bring you 920 00:35:50,820 –> 00:35:52,780 into a living relationship with God. 921 00:35:54,379 –> 00:35:56,379 A friend who was reminding me recently 922 00:35:56,379 –> 00:35:58,219 of his story, an older man now, 923 00:35:59,500 –> 00:36:02,179 and he said, I was brought up in church. 924 00:36:02,179 –> 00:36:03,139 I was on committees, 925 00:36:03,360 –> 00:36:06,580 I tithed, read the Bible, 926 00:36:06,580 –> 00:36:08,699 but I was in my mid-40’s 927 00:36:08,699 –> 00:36:12,040 before I realized I did not know God. 928 00:36:14,899 –> 00:36:16,419 And it was a crisis in his marriage 929 00:36:16,419 –> 00:36:18,179 that brought him to that conclusion. 930 00:36:20,820 –> 00:36:21,979 Churchman all his life, 931 00:36:24,179 –> 00:36:25,659 generous, kind, good, 932 00:36:28,340 –> 00:36:29,560 committed. 933 00:36:31,939 –> 00:36:32,840 A church cannot bring you 934 00:36:33,800 –> 00:36:34,760 into a relationship with the living God. 935 00:36:34,760 –> 00:36:36,719 Jesus Christ is able to bring you 936 00:36:36,719 –> 00:36:38,320 into a living relationship with God. 937 00:36:38,320 –> 00:36:41,219 And for this reason he came into the world, 938 00:36:42,840 –> 00:36:44,020 give his life for you. 939 00:36:44,020 –> 00:36:46,659 And he can live his life in you. 940 00:36:50,479 –> 00:36:52,860 And so if you come to the place today 941 00:36:52,860 –> 00:36:55,540 where you’re saying, I see it now. 942 00:36:55,540 –> 00:36:58,199 Nothing that I have done has brought me 943 00:36:58,199 –> 00:37:00,020 into a relationship with God. 944 00:37:00,959 –> 00:37:03,219 And nothing the church can do 945 00:37:03,219 –> 00:37:06,439 will bring me into a relationship with God. 946 00:37:09,139 –> 00:37:10,739 But maybe you’ll come to the place today 947 00:37:10,739 –> 00:37:15,739 of saying, but I believe that Jesus Christ 948 00:37:16,199 –> 00:37:18,379 could bring me into a relationship with God. 949 00:37:18,379 –> 00:37:20,459 Now you are on the very threshold 950 00:37:20,459 –> 00:37:23,280 of the way of salvation. 951 00:37:24,139 –> 00:37:26,040 Let’s bow in prayer together shall we. 952 00:37:26,040 –> 00:37:31,040 Father, we see and feel our need of clarity, 953 00:37:35,939 –> 00:37:40,939 conviction and the right kind of confidence 954 00:37:41,159 –> 00:37:43,280 because it’s confidence in you 955 00:37:44,800 –> 00:37:48,899 that is at the very center of the gospel 956 00:37:48,899 –> 00:37:51,719 of our Christian life, of our eternal destiny. 957 00:37:52,620 –> 00:37:57,620 Thank you that we do not hang on the thoughts of a man. 958 00:38:00,879 –> 00:38:02,919 Thank you that we do not hang 959 00:38:02,919 –> 00:38:06,399 on the distorted debates of an institution. 960 00:38:09,340 –> 00:38:12,320 Thank you that we can hang ourselves, 961 00:38:13,780 –> 00:38:16,219 our struggles and our very eternity 962 00:38:16,219 –> 00:38:19,820 with confidence on the Lord Jesus Christ 963 00:38:20,659 –> 00:38:24,439 who gave himself for our sins 964 00:38:24,439 –> 00:38:27,760 to deliver us from this present evil age. 965 00:38:30,040 –> 00:38:31,860 Let us grow in confidence in him 966 00:38:31,860 –> 00:38:33,760 and in Christ alone, 967 00:38:35,419 –> 00:38:38,840 for these things we ask, in Jesus’ name, Amen.