the gospel of the promise

Posted on April 22, 2011 by Jefferson Vann

prom Galatians 3:15-29.  The Galatians were being tempted to turn to the Mosaic Law and the Jewish traditions.
Paul is telling them here that they do not have to do that because God is already their heavenly Father. They are in Christ, so they are already heirs of Christ’s kingdom. They are in Christ so they are already sons of God, and Abraham’s spiritual offspring. Israel is no longer under the guardianship of the Law, because the Messiah has come, and the Holy Spirit has come.
LORD, help us to live like who we are in Christ. May we allow your Holy Spirit to fill us, use us, and transform our community through us. Amen

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the gospel of redemption

Posted on April 22, 2011 by Jefferson Vann

The Gospel of Redemption Gal 3 10-14 slide 1 Galatians 3:10-14.  Remember that Paul is dealing with the challenge of a false teaching in Galatians. The “troublers” from Jerusalem have convinced the Gentile Galatians that they need to add obedience to the Mosaic law (as defined by Jewish tradition) to their faith in Christ in order to have the blessing of Abraham.

But Paul’s point is that the blessing of Abraham comes by faith in Christ’s atonement on the cross of Calvary. So one of the consequences of the cross is that the Gentiles are now included in God’s promises to Abraham when they put their faith in Christ.
That blessing includes forgiveness of sins and adoption as sons of God.
Another consequence of the cross is that the Holy Spirit is now available to everyone (Jew and Gentile). Fellowship with the Holy spirit brings power into our lives (Spiritual Gifts) and transforms us so that we manifest the Fruit of the Spirit (sanctified lives).

The Galatians were being tricked into rejecting Christ and going back to the old choice (self reliance) which only leads to sin and destruction. What about you? Are you trusting in the blood of Christ for your salvation, or are you trying to be good enough for God to save you?
LORD, we hereby renounce the old way of self-reliance, and cling to the cross of Christ. We accept the redemption bought by his blood. We accept your forgiveness and adoption into your family. We accept transformation by your Holy Spirit. Amen

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the gospel preached to Abraham

Posted on April 22, 2011 by Jefferson Vann

ab Galatians 3:1-9.  Abraham’s story was also a story of forgiveness… yes, I said forgiveness.
God had originally wanted the entire human race to be his representatives – his children. But sin marred God’s creation and made it impossible for any human being to be God’s child because we all lacked the righteousness necessary to represent him.
God in his grace responded to Abraham’s faith and counted it as righteousness. He forgave Abraham on the basis of the shed blood of Christ, his descendant.

LORD, help us to trust in you and you alone the way Abraham did.
Help us to trust in you in spite of what happens in this life because we are looking forward to your kingdom to come.
And help us to accept your payment for our sins, your miraculous Holy Spirit and your incredible forgiveness through Christ’s sacrifice.
Help us to hold fast to this gospel, once preached to Abraham, now available to us through Christ. Amen.

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the gospel of faith in Christ

Posted on April 21, 2011 by Jefferson Vann

gospel of faith Galatians 2: 15-21.  When we declare that Christ gave himself for us on the cross we are saying that we were sinners, and that we were helpless to do anything to please God. BUT Jesus Christ was not a sinner. He could do something about our sin problem. He did it on Calvary’s cross. His sacrifice was enough to pay the price to set us free.
How tragic it is then, to have and proclaim this great gospel message, and then water it down by saying that God pays more attention to someone who doesn’t eat pork. Our trust is not in something we can do for God. Our trust is in something He did for us.

Paul saw that the Galatians had a serious problem. they had put their faith in Christ, but now they were in danger because someone was trying to convince them to alter that faith. The troublers wanted the Galatians to trust in Christ AND…
But God did not send his only Son to die in our place so that we could trust him AND ourselves.
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LORD, help us to put our faith in Christ alone, and keep our faith in Christ alone.

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in step with the gospel

Posted on April 21, 2011 by Jefferson Vann

step Galatians 2:11-14.  When he encountered Peter’s hypocrisy, Paul could have done the same thing Peter did, claiming Peter’s authority. That would have been the easy thing to do. But there was a lot at stake here. It was not just the traditions of men, whether Jewish or Gentile. The truth of the gospel was at stake. So Paul publically opposed Peter.
Paul was being a good friend here. All of us are able to make wrong choices which deny what we profess. If that happens, may God give us a friend like Paul, who cares enough to confront us.
This story is included in Galatians because the Galatian believers were being threatened with the same false teaching that the “certain men from James” had with them when they visited Antioch. The Galatians would have to make the same choice that Peter did. They would have to repent and get back in step with the gospel that they profess.
This story suggests a few principles for living like a Christian in any age.

prin

When you and I gave our lives to Jesus Christ, we accepted the gospel of the kingdom, and agreed to live by its principles.
Are we still living by those principles? Have we taken on any new habits and practices since then?
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LORD, help us to examine ourselves to see if we are still living by the gospel that we accepted when we first came to you.

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entrusted with the gospel

Posted on April 21, 2011 by Jefferson Vann

ent Galatians 2:1-10.  Galatians focuses on the gospel message. In 2:7, Paul says that he has been “entrusted with the gospel.”  The same is true of you and me. We have been entrusted with the gospel message.

The challenge for us is to keep faithfully proclaiming the gospel as Paul did. It is a stewardship.

The reason Paul could keep proclaiming the gospel is that he was not ashamed of it. He believed that it is God’s power for salvation (Rom. 1:16).

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not man’s gospel

Posted on April 20, 2011 by Jefferson Vann

not man's gospel Galatians 1:11-24.  Paul had already said that his missionary calling was not “from men nor through man (1:1). He had also made it clear that no man was his master, because he was not serving man, nor trying to please man (1:10). Now he is making it clear that his message (the gospel) is not an evolved Judaism. It is not “based on human reasoning” (1:11). He did not follow “a human example” (3:15).  Instead, the message came by direct revelation (1:12). 

The true Gospel is “not man’s gospel.” It didn’t originate with human tradition. It ignites within us a sense of separation and a holy calling. It results in a fellowship based on acceptance and encouragement.
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Heavenly Father,
Help us to escape human traditions long enough to get a clear focus on the gospel message. May our hearts beat to the tune of the good news of what Jesus did for us (that no man could do), the destiny that awaits us (that no man can imagine), and the power that is available to us (that no man can resist).

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times of threshing

Posted on April 20, 2011 by Jefferson Vann

thresh Isaiah 21.  The punishment that God’s people would face under the oppressor (in this case, Babylon) for their disobedience was like grain, which is crushed to separate it from its chaff, and then violently thrown to the wind for winnowing.  The prophet reassures the people who are going through this painful process that God still loves them. He knows what they are going through. He knows what we are going through as well. In his timing, and according to his plan, the oppressor will fall.

LORD, may your word reassure us of your presence during times of threshing.  May we not forget you during the times of difficulty.

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no other gospel

Posted on April 19, 2011 by Jefferson Vann

no other gospel Galatians 1:1-10.  You have probably never thought to yourself, “man, I wish I could be circumcised.” So you might be wondering if the message of Galatians is as important today as it was when Paul and the brothers wrote it.

The problem with the troublers in Galatia was not that they were trying to make the Christians more Jewish. They were trying to make the Christians non-Christians. They sought to change the church – to accommodate it to the world around them.

The message of Galatians is that believers should find our distinctiveness in Christ and the gospel of forgiveness through his sacrifice.

LORD, may we live, love, and proclaim no other gospel than the one which brought us salvation: Jesus Christ on the cross to purchase our redemption.

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false hope

Posted on April 19, 2011 by Jefferson Vann

SDC11854 Isaiah 19-20.  It would have been embarrassing to see the great prophet walking around naked and barefoot for three years. The people probably thought that he had finally lost it – that he had gone utterly mad.  All this time they were thinking that God was going to rescue them from the Assyrian threat by means of Egypt and Cush. Then God tells them that it is this false hope that they should be ashamed of.

LORD, forgive us for putting our hope in flesh. It is hard to see your invisible hand, and it is easy to grasp at some other form of rescue, and assume that you are in it. May we put our hope in you alone.

May we who are being tempted to put our hope in the wrong place be reminded of your power and faithfulness. 

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