WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.759 Well, we talk a lot at Advent about being a gospel-centered church. 00:00:06.379 --> 00:00:08.580 It's core to our vision, core to our identity. 00:00:09.099 --> 00:00:13.280 We want to be a gospel-centered community, and we want to plant other churches that are 00:00:13.280 --> 00:00:14.359 gospel-centered churches. 00:00:15.080 --> 00:00:19.019 And so it's important from time to time in the life of our church that we come back to 00:00:19.019 --> 00:00:26.640 that idea and re-clarify what that actually means, because it would be easy to use a phrase 00:00:26.640 --> 00:00:31.219 like that, but to, over time, lose a sense of its meaning. 00:00:31.519 --> 00:00:35.520 So it's important that we come back and remind ourselves what does it mean to be a gospel-centered 00:00:35.520 --> 00:00:35.980 community. 00:00:36.159 --> 00:00:42.060 And we've been looking at Paul's letter to the Galatians in order to refresh our understanding 00:00:42.060 --> 00:00:43.840 of this idea. 00:00:43.840 --> 00:00:50.219 And so we're going to be looking this week at Galatians 1, verses 9 to 17, and we're going 00:00:50.219 --> 00:00:56.500 to see that part of what it means to be a gospel-centered community is that we are people who know the 00:00:56.500 --> 00:01:04.560 difference between the true gospel that comes from Jesus delivered through the apostles across 00:01:04.560 --> 00:01:09.960 time down to us, that we would know the difference between that gospel and what you might consider 00:01:09.960 --> 00:01:16.780 to be counterfeit gospels or false gospels, versions of the gospel that have been distorted 00:01:16.780 --> 00:01:20.039 or twisted such that they lose their meaning. 00:01:20.140 --> 00:01:22.780 They're no longer recognizable as the real thing. 00:01:22.780 --> 00:01:27.560 And so that's exactly what Paul is talking about in this part of Galatians. 00:01:27.680 --> 00:01:32.519 He's talking about the true gospel versus the rise of false gospels. 00:01:32.840 --> 00:01:35.099 And so this passage is going to show us three things. 00:01:35.180 --> 00:01:36.260 We're going to dive in a little deeper. 00:01:36.579 --> 00:01:38.579 It's going to show us the allure of false gospels. 00:01:38.900 --> 00:01:43.020 Why are they so attractive and so prominent throughout the life of the church? 00:01:43.579 --> 00:01:45.680 Then the danger of false gospels. 00:01:45.780 --> 00:01:46.579 Why does this matter? 00:01:46.680 --> 00:01:47.359 What's the big deal? 00:01:47.359 --> 00:01:53.620 And then finally, the power of the true gospel in contrast to the counterfeits. 00:01:53.819 --> 00:01:56.099 So let's pray and then we'll open God's word together. 00:01:57.379 --> 00:01:59.340 Lord, we thank you for your word. 00:01:59.599 --> 00:02:01.819 We thank you for your people, your community. 00:02:02.459 --> 00:02:08.219 And we know that you promise to do your work in us through your word, that your Holy Spirit 00:02:08.219 --> 00:02:15.139 is here in our midst and that you can use your word like a surgical instrument. 00:02:15.139 --> 00:02:20.479 And we need to be under your word tonight, Lord. 00:02:20.539 --> 00:02:22.699 We need heart surgery, all of us here. 00:02:23.159 --> 00:02:29.539 And so we pray that by the power of your Spirit, you would do just that, Lord, in each of us as we need. 00:02:30.199 --> 00:02:34.319 And we pray this for your glory, Lord, and we pray it in the name of your Son, Jesus. 00:02:34.699 --> 00:02:35.000 Amen. 00:02:36.319 --> 00:02:40.000 So first we're going to talk about the allure of false gospels. 00:02:40.000 --> 00:02:45.199 And I want to give you a little context so you understand what's going on at this point in Paul's letter. 00:02:45.699 --> 00:02:49.560 Paul had come into Galatia to preach the good news of the gospel. 00:02:49.960 --> 00:02:53.960 And as we said last week, for those who were here, Galatia was a very divided place. 00:02:54.039 --> 00:02:55.539 It was in south-central Turkey. 00:02:56.060 --> 00:02:58.099 There was religious division. 00:02:58.259 --> 00:03:02.759 There was ethnic division, racial division, and very divided society. 00:03:02.759 --> 00:03:06.399 And so Paul came and he began to announce the good news of the gospel. 00:03:06.500 --> 00:03:07.579 And he began to say this. 00:03:08.639 --> 00:03:16.539 There aren't many gods that are and goddesses who are affiliated with different people groups based on their race or their background or their ethnicity. 00:03:16.799 --> 00:03:17.979 There's only one God. 00:03:19.099 --> 00:03:20.879 And that one God made all of you. 00:03:21.939 --> 00:03:26.159 And that God has had a plan since he laid down the foundations of the earth. 00:03:26.299 --> 00:03:28.379 And it's been a mystery up until now. 00:03:28.379 --> 00:03:35.019 But through Jesus Christ, the Son of God, God's plan has been revealed for all to see. 00:03:36.219 --> 00:03:45.519 Through the life and the death and the resurrection of Jesus, God has unveiled his desire that he would be the one father of the whole world. 00:03:45.520 --> 00:03:55.860 And so Jesus, after his resurrection, began to call into existence one great worldwide family from all the peoples of the earth. 00:03:56.180 --> 00:04:04.760 And that the great unfolding vision of salvation history is that that one great family would be united around the glory of God. 00:04:05.520 --> 00:04:07.740 And this is the vision that Paul lays out. 00:04:07.820 --> 00:04:13.560 And people hear this and they rightly understand that this turns everything upside down. 00:04:13.560 --> 00:04:18.360 This is society-altering, upheaval kind of news. 00:04:18.740 --> 00:04:20.379 And so some people were thrilled. 00:04:20.540 --> 00:04:21.660 Some people were excited. 00:04:22.139 --> 00:04:36.660 The Gentiles in particular realized that Paul's message to them was that if they wanted a relationship with God, they no longer had to become Jewish, come under the law of Moses, be circumcised in order to then know God, 00:04:36.660 --> 00:04:42.860 that they could simply be baptized and immediately become Christians and part of this great worldwide family. 00:04:43.560 --> 00:04:48.800 And so this message essentially said that there was no longer any difference between Jews and Gentiles. 00:04:50.240 --> 00:04:56.639 And so people, some people were excited about this, but many other people were deeply troubled by this. 00:04:57.079 --> 00:05:01.759 And so opponents had risen up in the church, other teachers who were contradicting Paul, 00:05:01.759 --> 00:05:08.519 and they were trying to discredit Paul, to demonstrate that he had no authority to say these things. 00:05:09.560 --> 00:05:19.939 And so they were accusing Paul of dumbing down the gospel, of altering it and making it more palatable to his Gentile audience, 00:05:20.199 --> 00:05:22.079 that he was essentially a people pleaser. 00:05:22.079 --> 00:05:25.539 He was saying, Gentiles, you don't have to become Jewish. 00:05:25.680 --> 00:05:27.599 You can just go straight into Christianity. 00:05:27.699 --> 00:05:29.240 And they said, you're just trying to make them happy. 00:05:29.319 --> 00:05:30.279 You're trying to placate them. 00:05:31.439 --> 00:05:35.779 And so that's why Paul says in verse 10, am I seeking the approval of man or God? 00:05:36.339 --> 00:05:39.399 If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ. 00:05:39.639 --> 00:05:40.680 Can't have it both ways. 00:05:41.620 --> 00:05:41.959 Right? 00:05:42.000 --> 00:05:44.019 But I want to pause here to point something out. 00:05:44.019 --> 00:05:52.620 But even though Paul is not dumbing down the gospel, and even though Paul is not altering the gospel to make it more palatable, 00:05:53.459 --> 00:05:58.539 throughout the history of the church for 2,000 years, many people have done just that. 00:05:59.359 --> 00:06:06.279 They have altered the message of the gospel to make it more palatable, to make it more user-friendly than the real thing. 00:06:07.159 --> 00:06:09.859 And just a couple of examples to illustrate what I'm talking about. 00:06:09.860 --> 00:06:19.280 One of the ways the gospel has been altered and is often preached in our culture right now is a version of the gospel that you might think of as the therapeutic gospel. 00:06:19.699 --> 00:06:24.160 It's a reframing of Christianity around a kind of self-help culture. 00:06:24.680 --> 00:06:31.860 The idea being that God's primary desire for us is that we would be happy and that we would be fulfilled and that we would live meaningful lives. 00:06:31.860 --> 00:06:42.620 And that God's role in that is to essentially be our helper who is there to aid us in living the best life we can possibly live, our best life now. 00:06:43.400 --> 00:06:50.819 And, of course, this is much more palatable than the real gospel, which actually has a deep theology of suffering. 00:06:51.800 --> 00:06:52.139 Right? 00:06:52.199 --> 00:06:59.620 The real gospel which says, although God may be concerned and desirous of our happiness, he cares far more about our holiness. 00:06:59.620 --> 00:07:05.740 And that, in fact, sometimes our holiness comes at the expense of our momentary happiness. 00:07:06.600 --> 00:07:11.819 And that sometimes God does work in our hearts that can only be done through suffering. 00:07:12.319 --> 00:07:15.899 And that somehow suffering is a part of how God redeems the world. 00:07:16.780 --> 00:07:19.259 That's not a very palatable message to many people. 00:07:20.560 --> 00:07:22.319 The therapeutic gospel is much more attractive. 00:07:22.959 --> 00:07:23.079 Right? 00:07:23.079 --> 00:07:26.579 Another example of this would be a kind of version of the gospel. 00:07:26.680 --> 00:07:32.099 I think it's very popular, especially in our city, is what you might think of as the churchless gospel. 00:07:32.779 --> 00:07:32.919 Right? 00:07:32.939 --> 00:07:37.879 This is the idea that the only thing that matters is Jesus and my personal relationship with him. 00:07:38.740 --> 00:07:40.139 And that can be had anywhere. 00:07:41.060 --> 00:07:49.439 And the church is seen as a kind of secondary or maybe even an obstacle to my authentic spirituality. 00:07:49.439 --> 00:07:54.759 Now, this is, of course, very attractive to many people for obvious reasons. 00:07:54.899 --> 00:07:55.120 Why? 00:07:55.420 --> 00:07:57.699 Because being involved in a local church is hard. 00:07:58.839 --> 00:08:00.019 And it's inconvenient. 00:08:01.000 --> 00:08:04.920 And it takes a lot of time and a lot of energy and a whole lot of patience. 00:08:05.779 --> 00:08:09.120 And you've got to be around people and put up with people that you don't necessarily like. 00:08:09.519 --> 00:08:12.579 And you get frustrated when church leaders make decisions that you disagree with. 00:08:12.579 --> 00:08:16.479 And then you start hearing about needs in the community. 00:08:16.479 --> 00:08:18.500 And you start to feel obligated to get involved. 00:08:18.759 --> 00:08:20.719 And that's incredibly inconvenient. 00:08:21.099 --> 00:08:21.240 Right? 00:08:21.279 --> 00:08:22.579 Because we're already all overworked. 00:08:23.599 --> 00:08:23.819 Right? 00:08:23.859 --> 00:08:27.139 And so it's much easier to say, well, I'll just sit at home. 00:08:27.180 --> 00:08:28.519 And I'll listen to sermons online. 00:08:28.519 --> 00:08:30.879 And I'll hang out with my Christian friends from time to time. 00:08:31.419 --> 00:08:34.819 And that's my version of Christian faithfulness. 00:08:35.139 --> 00:08:35.240 Right? 00:08:35.279 --> 00:08:41.279 Much more attractive, much more user-friendly than the real gospel, which has no concept of a lone Christian. 00:08:41.279 --> 00:08:41.600 Right? 00:08:42.860 --> 00:08:44.579 In the New Testament, you cannot find that. 00:08:44.860 --> 00:08:45.059 Right? 00:08:45.319 --> 00:08:50.759 The assumption is that if you're a Christian, that you are actively a part of a local expression of the church. 00:08:50.759 --> 00:08:52.500 That you're in God's family. 00:08:52.579 --> 00:08:54.679 That you're a part of that body. 00:08:54.679 --> 00:08:58.759 And that you are a part of that body playing the role that you've been gifted and called to play. 00:08:59.799 --> 00:08:59.899 Right? 00:08:59.939 --> 00:09:03.439 But that's much less palatable, much less user-friendly. 00:09:04.539 --> 00:09:07.379 Two more examples I'll give you simply because they go together. 00:09:07.480 --> 00:09:10.480 They're opposite ends, opposite extremes of the same continuum. 00:09:11.279 --> 00:09:14.159 On one end, you have the social gospel. 00:09:14.519 --> 00:09:17.779 On the other end, you have what might be considered the quietest gospel. 00:09:18.620 --> 00:09:18.759 Right? 00:09:18.839 --> 00:09:20.299 So the social gospel says what? 00:09:21.079 --> 00:09:29.179 Social gospel says Christian faithfulness, what it really looks like, is going out and seeking social reform and renewal through activism. 00:09:29.759 --> 00:09:31.139 That that's what Christians should be about. 00:09:31.240 --> 00:09:32.639 That's what Jesus really came to do. 00:09:32.639 --> 00:09:41.659 But it minimizes or altogether omits talk of personal sin, personal salvation, personal holiness. 00:09:42.139 --> 00:09:45.699 The focus is on bringing change in the name of Jesus to our society. 00:09:46.799 --> 00:09:51.000 On the other hand, you have the quietest gospel, which is the exact opposite. 00:09:51.000 --> 00:10:00.539 The focus is entirely on my salvation, on my getting right with God, on me being a part of the church and worshiping God. 00:10:00.700 --> 00:10:10.580 But it says that caring for the vulnerable and the poor and seeking to be activist and to bring societal change, that that's not the work of the church. 00:10:10.580 --> 00:10:15.240 And what we see in both cases is a distorting of the true gospel. 00:10:15.940 --> 00:10:18.740 Because if we understand the true gospel, we recognize that it's both. 00:10:19.660 --> 00:10:19.879 Right? 00:10:19.920 --> 00:10:24.759 It begins with me confessing my sin and being reconciled to God through the blood of Christ. 00:10:25.240 --> 00:10:26.580 But it doesn't end there. 00:10:27.139 --> 00:10:27.259 Right? 00:10:27.340 --> 00:10:31.080 With it comes a mandate to go out and to minister in the name of Christ. 00:10:31.139 --> 00:10:32.000 To care for the vulnerable. 00:10:32.120 --> 00:10:32.900 To care for the poor. 00:10:33.200 --> 00:10:34.980 To try to free the oppressed. 00:10:34.980 --> 00:10:39.060 To try to bring institutional and societal change wherever we can to glorify Christ. 00:10:39.180 --> 00:10:39.280 Right? 00:10:39.279 --> 00:10:40.279 It's a both and. 00:10:40.679 --> 00:10:42.419 But that's much less palatable. 00:10:42.600 --> 00:10:44.759 It's much less user friendly. 00:10:45.019 --> 00:10:50.600 And so these various versions of the gospel, these distortions of the gospel, are very popular. 00:10:50.759 --> 00:10:51.480 They're very widespread. 00:10:52.419 --> 00:10:58.120 And if you understand these examples, you'll recognize they all contain grains of truth. 00:10:58.959 --> 00:11:07.220 But where they go wrong is that they begin to overemphasize certain aspects of the gospel and underemphasize or omit other aspects of the gospel. 00:11:07.220 --> 00:11:13.980 And over time they become so distorted that they cease to be the gospel in any meaningful sense. 00:11:15.340 --> 00:11:17.980 Now you may hear this and you may think, well, who in the world cares? 00:11:18.660 --> 00:11:20.879 You know, why split doctrinal hairs? 00:11:21.160 --> 00:11:22.600 You know, theologians care about this. 00:11:22.700 --> 00:11:23.639 Pastors care about this. 00:11:23.720 --> 00:11:25.259 But why should I care about this? 00:11:25.259 --> 00:11:33.299 And this is where we need to take note of Paul's language and his tone in this letter. 00:11:34.200 --> 00:11:35.039 Look at verse 9. 00:11:35.159 --> 00:11:35.879 Paul says this, 00:11:35.879 --> 00:11:49.879 Now Paul's dramatic. 00:11:51.179 --> 00:11:52.360 He can be intense. 00:11:53.419 --> 00:11:54.460 We know this about Paul. 00:11:55.779 --> 00:11:58.059 But I don't think he's just being dramatic here. 00:11:59.139 --> 00:12:02.539 The word accursed is the word anathema. 00:12:03.159 --> 00:12:04.720 Let him be anathema. 00:12:04.720 --> 00:12:07.460 Paul is invoking a curse. 00:12:08.320 --> 00:12:08.440 Right? 00:12:08.500 --> 00:12:12.379 He's calling down a curse on these teachers of the false gospels. 00:12:12.759 --> 00:12:15.440 And so we have to ask ourselves, why is Paul so upset? 00:12:15.879 --> 00:12:21.519 And it begins to make sense when we understand how dangerous false gospels can be. 00:12:21.660 --> 00:12:28.160 We talked last week about the fact that the way we define the gospel, that sets our course as individuals. 00:12:28.440 --> 00:12:30.680 And it sets our course as a community. 00:12:30.679 --> 00:12:44.500 It determines and shapes everything else about how we live, about how we spend our time and money, about what we prioritize, about the issues that we care about and how we respond to them, about how we respond and treat people who disagree with us. 00:12:44.500 --> 00:12:45.820 It shapes all of that. 00:12:45.820 --> 00:12:50.120 And here's why false gospels are so dangerous. 00:12:50.240 --> 00:12:52.539 They're dangerous because they promise blessing. 00:12:53.659 --> 00:12:55.980 But over time they become curses. 00:12:56.759 --> 00:12:58.360 They promise blessings. 00:12:58.820 --> 00:13:02.700 But over time they become curses rather than blessings. 00:13:02.700 --> 00:13:07.980 And I want to give you just one example so you can see what I'm talking about in action. 00:13:08.340 --> 00:13:11.879 Let's go back to the social gospel, what we talked about a little while ago. 00:13:12.000 --> 00:13:17.040 Remember, the social gospel is the emphasizing of seeking social renewal through activism. 00:13:18.060 --> 00:13:25.900 But most of the time it either minimizes or completely omits any focus on personal sin, personal change, personal holiness. 00:13:26.120 --> 00:13:30.400 The focus is on what we can do in society, what we should be doing in society. 00:13:30.399 --> 00:13:38.639 So let's take that and, you know, you think, well, you know, at the end of the day, if you get a bunch of people to go out and start doing good like that, how could that be a bad thing? 00:13:39.279 --> 00:13:39.480 Right? 00:13:40.419 --> 00:13:41.819 Maybe we should be doing more of that. 00:13:41.899 --> 00:13:43.360 This is a great idea. 00:13:43.439 --> 00:13:44.579 Who would argue with this? 00:13:45.120 --> 00:13:46.500 And at face value I would agree. 00:13:47.340 --> 00:13:54.120 But let's take this approach and apply it to a sensitive, highly divisive issue like racism. 00:13:55.340 --> 00:13:55.740 Right? 00:13:55.799 --> 00:13:57.199 So here's the question I want to ask you. 00:13:57.200 --> 00:14:14.120 What happens when you take a bunch of would-be Christians and you tell them to go out and eradicate racism wherever they see it in society, but you omit any talk about personal sin or the need to repent? 00:14:15.400 --> 00:14:16.180 What do you get? 00:14:17.140 --> 00:14:17.320 Right? 00:14:17.379 --> 00:14:18.140 Just think about that. 00:14:18.200 --> 00:14:18.680 What do you get? 00:14:18.780 --> 00:14:21.000 Well, you get a bunch of people that get charged up. 00:14:21.080 --> 00:14:21.780 They get fired up. 00:14:21.840 --> 00:14:22.400 They want to go out. 00:14:22.399 --> 00:14:23.519 They want to make change in the world. 00:14:23.620 --> 00:14:28.139 And they begin to go out and they begin to call out instances of racism wherever they see it. 00:14:28.559 --> 00:14:29.980 It could be in institutions. 00:14:30.199 --> 00:14:32.740 It could be in traditions. 00:14:33.000 --> 00:14:35.799 It could be in their own family, in their own friend group. 00:14:35.860 --> 00:14:37.879 They begin to identify it everywhere. 00:14:38.159 --> 00:14:40.539 And they begin to try to bring change out there. 00:14:41.299 --> 00:14:50.840 But the entire time, they are likely to remain completely blind to their own sin, to the own ways in which they might be complicit. 00:14:51.139 --> 00:14:51.319 Right? 00:14:51.320 --> 00:14:57.580 And so what happens when you have a culture like this is you're familiar with the term woke. 00:14:57.980 --> 00:14:58.100 Right? 00:14:58.320 --> 00:15:05.120 Somebody to become aware of their privilege, to become aware of all of the instances of injustice they were maybe blind to before. 00:15:05.260 --> 00:15:05.379 Right? 00:15:05.600 --> 00:15:08.160 Now, being woke is generally considered to be a good thing. 00:15:09.340 --> 00:15:16.480 But what you have when you have a bunch of people who are sent out to make a difference with no focus on their own sin, with no focus on their own need to repent, 00:15:16.480 --> 00:15:21.360 is you have a kind of pharisaical wokeness. 00:15:22.440 --> 00:15:22.680 Right? 00:15:22.740 --> 00:15:24.200 What was the issue with the Pharisees? 00:15:24.600 --> 00:15:29.240 Well, they cared way more about external appearance than they did inward heart change. 00:15:30.039 --> 00:15:30.200 Right? 00:15:30.259 --> 00:15:33.100 Jesus calls them whitewashed tunes for a reason. 00:15:33.779 --> 00:15:34.180 Right? 00:15:34.179 --> 00:15:36.399 They look good on the outside, but they're corrupt on the inside. 00:15:36.759 --> 00:15:36.959 Right? 00:15:37.500 --> 00:15:44.639 And so what you have, what the social gospel would actually produce in this instance would be a culture of pharisaical wokeness. 00:15:44.699 --> 00:15:51.439 People who are much more concerned about appearing woke and earning that badge on social media than actually changing internally. 00:15:51.440 --> 00:15:52.080 Internally. 00:15:53.260 --> 00:16:08.840 And so this is one way that we begin to see the danger of a false gospel and how it can promise blessing and yet end up cursing us and end up bringing and doing more harm than good. 00:16:08.920 --> 00:16:13.420 Because the social gospel, just like all false gospels, it doesn't actually change hearts. 00:16:14.660 --> 00:16:16.540 False gospels produce Pharisees. 00:16:17.320 --> 00:16:18.360 That's what they do. 00:16:18.360 --> 00:16:18.440 True. 00:16:18.800 --> 00:16:26.019 They produce people who are good at acting righteous and appearing righteous, but with no real heart change on the inside. 00:16:27.039 --> 00:16:27.139 Right? 00:16:27.220 --> 00:16:32.259 See, the true gospel, by contrast, always calls us to begin the same way. 00:16:32.539 --> 00:16:34.600 Do you want to be a part of the solution in the world? 00:16:34.659 --> 00:16:35.919 Do you want to be a part of making a difference? 00:16:36.019 --> 00:16:37.039 Do you want to care for the vulnerable? 00:16:37.340 --> 00:16:38.840 Do you want to engage issues like racism? 00:16:38.960 --> 00:16:40.139 Do you want to do these kinds of things? 00:16:41.100 --> 00:16:42.960 For those of us for whom that's even a choice. 00:16:43.960 --> 00:16:44.279 Right? 00:16:44.560 --> 00:16:46.000 It has to start with you. 00:16:46.000 --> 00:16:48.840 It has to start with you recognizing your sin. 00:16:48.940 --> 00:16:55.019 It has to start with you going to your knees, like we do every week, and confessing, seeking the mercy of God. 00:16:55.019 --> 00:17:06.680 And what this does to your heart over time is, when it comes to an issue like racism, which is so sensitive and so fraught and so divisive, 00:17:07.059 --> 00:17:11.059 it means that over time, as we're regularly confessing and as we're regularly repenting, 00:17:11.119 --> 00:17:14.059 we become people who are very quick to admit our own fault. 00:17:15.059 --> 00:17:17.980 But we're very, very, very slow to point our finger. 00:17:18.599 --> 00:17:20.720 We're very slow to accuse anyone else. 00:17:20.720 --> 00:17:27.220 Our gut instinct, our knee-jerk response, is to look inside, first and foremost. 00:17:28.480 --> 00:17:33.900 And, you know, it's no coincidence that most true revivals throughout history in the church, most real revivals, 00:17:34.680 --> 00:17:40.400 if you look all across church history, lots of revivals and lots of different things happening, right? 00:17:40.420 --> 00:17:42.819 So it's hard to really compare them because they're all so different from one another. 00:17:43.100 --> 00:17:44.519 But I'll tell you one thing that they have in common. 00:17:44.519 --> 00:17:50.980 There's not a single revival anywhere that I know of that began when people started calling out sin in other people. 00:17:52.000 --> 00:17:54.000 That has never brought revival. 00:17:55.259 --> 00:18:00.839 What has brought revival is when people individually and corporately begin to confess their sin. 00:18:02.139 --> 00:18:03.579 That's what brings revival. 00:18:03.579 --> 00:18:11.240 So we have to understand this and as we think about our own culture and our own context, 00:18:11.720 --> 00:18:13.500 what this would look like in our church. 00:18:14.740 --> 00:18:20.500 What we need to understand is false gospels are powerless to deal with sin and so they leave us unchanged. 00:18:21.599 --> 00:18:29.220 And then we can contrast that with the true gospel which alone has the power to deal with sin and to change hearts. 00:18:29.220 --> 00:18:33.920 And we see that loud and clear in the example of Paul's life. 00:18:34.079 --> 00:18:39.880 Paul essentially lays out his autobiography and it's a story of profound change. 00:18:40.940 --> 00:18:45.740 As I said a little while ago, Paul had opponents in Galatia who were trying to discredit him 00:18:45.740 --> 00:18:50.900 by saying that his understanding of the gospel is based on second-hand knowledge. 00:18:50.960 --> 00:18:53.480 In other words, they're saying this guy isn't really an apostle. 00:18:53.480 --> 00:18:59.279 He became a Christian and then he went and he started listening to what the other apostles were saying 00:18:59.279 --> 00:19:03.860 and he got some of it right but he got some of it wrong and he's kind of mixed up and so you shouldn't listen to it. 00:19:05.059 --> 00:19:06.279 And Paul's saying, no. 00:19:06.460 --> 00:19:14.599 In fact, I came face-to-face with Jesus and it was from Jesus that I learned the entire gospel that I am now preaching to you. 00:19:14.880 --> 00:19:18.920 And he tells his story so that they will realize that he didn't go to Jerusalem. 00:19:19.019 --> 00:19:20.339 He didn't go and sit under the teachings. 00:19:20.620 --> 00:19:22.640 He had no contact with any other apostles. 00:19:22.640 --> 00:19:24.400 He immediately began to preach. 00:19:25.680 --> 00:19:26.700 Well, almost immediately. 00:19:26.980 --> 00:19:27.700 You'll see what I mean. 00:19:28.520 --> 00:19:29.960 So Paul is making this case. 00:19:31.140 --> 00:19:34.820 And so in verse 13, he describes his face-to-face encounter with Jesus. 00:19:36.520 --> 00:19:38.980 For you have heard of my former life in Jerusalem. 00:19:39.480 --> 00:19:40.000 I'm sorry. 00:19:40.160 --> 00:19:41.860 You have heard of my former life in Judaism. 00:19:42.220 --> 00:19:45.740 How I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. 00:19:46.259 --> 00:19:50.520 And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people. 00:19:50.519 --> 00:19:54.180 So extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. 00:19:54.680 --> 00:19:59.500 So Paul had made a name for himself and built his career as a persecutor of the gospel. 00:19:59.500 --> 00:20:11.299 And then what happens is through a face-to-face encounter with Jesus, that so radically changed Paul that he went from being a persecutor of the gospel to being a preacher of the gospel. 00:20:11.299 --> 00:20:20.240 So we begin to ask, how could that have had such a profound impact on him and change him so much, a 180-degree shift in his life? 00:20:21.039 --> 00:20:21.819 And he says this, 00:20:21.819 --> 00:20:35.919 But when he who had set me apart before I was born and who called me by his grace was pleased to reveal his son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone. 00:20:36.059 --> 00:20:40.139 So he said, I didn't go up and misunderstand the teaching of the apostles. 00:20:41.019 --> 00:20:44.720 Nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me. 00:20:44.980 --> 00:20:47.159 But I went away into Arabia. 00:20:47.160 --> 00:20:47.279 Arabia. 00:20:50.380 --> 00:20:51.759 What? Arabia? 00:20:52.900 --> 00:20:57.440 I remember reading this for the first time and thinking, what in the world does that have to do with anything? 00:20:57.620 --> 00:20:58.420 Why Arabia? 00:20:59.200 --> 00:21:00.420 So I had to do some digging. 00:21:02.240 --> 00:21:03.220 Guess what's in Arabia? 00:21:04.900 --> 00:21:05.720 Mount Sinai. 00:21:07.040 --> 00:21:12.900 So most commentators say that what Paul's talking about here is this, that he has a face-to-face encounter with Jesus. 00:21:12.900 --> 00:21:20.600 And then, immediately, he takes a trip into Arabia and he goes to Mount Sinai. 00:21:20.780 --> 00:21:21.700 Now, what is Mount Sinai? 00:21:22.480 --> 00:21:26.780 Mount Sinai is the place where God defined his relationship with his people. 00:21:27.400 --> 00:21:28.680 He gave them the law. 00:21:29.019 --> 00:21:31.580 And he said, I want to be your God and I want you to be my people. 00:21:31.900 --> 00:21:39.120 And the law was a way of constituting and forming his people into his unique, set-apart community. 00:21:39.119 --> 00:21:42.919 And so the law was the definition of that relationship. 00:21:44.219 --> 00:21:50.319 And so this was at the very center of the Jewish identity and what it meant to have a relationship with God. 00:21:50.819 --> 00:21:58.039 So Paul goes to Mount Sinai and he begins to contemplate all of the implications of Jesus Christ. 00:21:58.179 --> 00:21:59.500 Here's what one commentator says. 00:22:00.119 --> 00:22:01.019 Scott McKnight says, 00:22:01.019 --> 00:22:03.759 He seems to have stayed there for three years. 00:22:03.920 --> 00:22:05.180 We see that in verse 18. 00:22:05.980 --> 00:22:09.799 And in this period of withdrawal, as he meditated on the Old Testament Scriptures, 00:22:10.240 --> 00:22:13.920 on the facts of the life and the death of Jesus that he already knew, 00:22:14.220 --> 00:22:16.480 and on his experience of conversion, 00:22:16.940 --> 00:22:21.440 the gospel of the grace of God was revealed to him in its fullness. 00:22:23.059 --> 00:22:27.660 So Sinai is the place where God defined his relationship with the Israelites. 00:22:27.660 --> 00:22:32.640 But Paul is realizing that because of Jesus Christ, 00:22:33.640 --> 00:22:38.900 that entire relationship between God and his people has now been redefined. 00:22:39.960 --> 00:22:41.980 It's been completely redefined. 00:22:42.580 --> 00:22:44.980 No longer is it based on keeping the law. 00:22:45.080 --> 00:22:46.759 No longer is it based on circumcision. 00:22:47.060 --> 00:22:48.840 No longer is it based on being Jewish. 00:22:49.800 --> 00:22:53.360 That God has now completely redefined his relationship with his people. 00:22:53.359 --> 00:22:57.759 So now all people, regardless of ethnicity, regardless of race, regardless of background, 00:22:57.939 --> 00:22:59.699 regardless of their former religion, 00:23:00.000 --> 00:23:03.639 can come and, through their faith in Jesus Christ, 00:23:03.819 --> 00:23:09.699 receive grace and be baptized and become part of this great worldwide family. 00:23:10.019 --> 00:23:13.659 And so Paul realizes here, at the foot of Mount Sinai, 00:23:14.439 --> 00:23:18.219 he realizes that all that Sinai represents has been fulfilled. 00:23:19.419 --> 00:23:20.859 It's all been fulfilled. 00:23:20.859 --> 00:23:25.439 And he realizes that he has to completely abandon his old identity. 00:23:25.819 --> 00:23:29.259 He has to completely abandon his old way of life, his old agenda. 00:23:29.659 --> 00:23:35.579 And now all that matters is that he follows Jesus Christ, whatever that means. 00:23:36.359 --> 00:23:41.259 No wonder he came out full of fire, ready to preach the good news, 00:23:41.279 --> 00:23:44.219 because he realized the implications of this were massive. 00:23:45.199 --> 00:23:46.539 This is going to change the world. 00:23:47.039 --> 00:23:48.199 And it is changing the world. 00:23:48.200 --> 00:23:54.740 Now, even though this is partly about Paul and his legitimacy as an apostle, 00:23:55.559 --> 00:23:58.340 there is also something here for all of us. 00:23:59.660 --> 00:24:02.660 Paul comes face-to-face with Jesus. 00:24:03.240 --> 00:24:05.759 He comes face-to-face with the truth of the gospel, 00:24:06.039 --> 00:24:11.779 and then he spends three years rethinking everything about his identity and his life. 00:24:11.779 --> 00:24:16.740 And only then does he fully come to understand the gospel of grace. 00:24:17.940 --> 00:24:20.839 And so if we pivot and we think about what this has to say to us, 00:24:21.319 --> 00:24:27.819 if we truly desire to be changed through the power of the gospel, 00:24:28.619 --> 00:24:29.980 and I do, 00:24:30.980 --> 00:24:32.440 every time I lose my temper, 00:24:33.059 --> 00:24:34.420 angry at my kids, 00:24:34.420 --> 00:24:39.640 every time it becomes obvious with my wife that I'm being incredibly selfish, 00:24:40.279 --> 00:24:44.460 time and time again when I look and I realize the kind of ugliness of my own heart, 00:24:45.060 --> 00:24:46.300 over and over and over again, 00:24:46.360 --> 00:24:50.360 I think and I pray and I long that the gospel would change me. 00:24:50.980 --> 00:24:52.779 I don't want to be this person. 00:24:54.000 --> 00:24:55.300 My refrain is, 00:24:55.500 --> 00:24:56.700 I don't want to be that person anymore. 00:24:56.880 --> 00:24:58.000 I want to be somebody new, 00:24:58.380 --> 00:24:59.400 with a new heart. 00:24:59.400 --> 00:25:00.820 I want to have new inclinations, 00:25:01.000 --> 00:25:01.660 new desires, 00:25:02.000 --> 00:25:02.600 new tendencies, 00:25:02.840 --> 00:25:04.080 new knee-jerk reactions. 00:25:04.220 --> 00:25:07.600 I don't want to feel the feelings that I feel toward people who disagree with me 00:25:07.600 --> 00:25:10.320 or dislike me. 00:25:10.680 --> 00:25:12.280 I want to feel love for those people. 00:25:12.519 --> 00:25:13.519 I want a new heart. 00:25:14.900 --> 00:25:15.040 Right? 00:25:15.100 --> 00:25:17.580 So if we desire the gospel to change us, 00:25:17.620 --> 00:25:18.240 to change our hearts, 00:25:18.340 --> 00:25:20.380 we have to be willing to do what Paul did. 00:25:20.400 --> 00:25:20.740 In other words, 00:25:20.860 --> 00:25:24.019 we have to go to the very foundation of our old identity, 00:25:24.540 --> 00:25:25.320 whatever that is. 00:25:25.340 --> 00:25:25.640 For you, 00:25:25.680 --> 00:25:26.820 it's probably not Sinai, 00:25:26.880 --> 00:25:27.800 but it's probably something. 00:25:28.519 --> 00:25:30.539 We have to go to the very roots of our identity. 00:25:30.680 --> 00:25:32.240 What have we built that identity on? 00:25:32.819 --> 00:25:33.500 Is it our race? 00:25:33.579 --> 00:25:34.240 Is it our ethnicity? 00:25:34.379 --> 00:25:35.139 Is it something else? 00:25:35.220 --> 00:25:35.899 Is it our family? 00:25:36.019 --> 00:25:36.819 Is it our job? 00:25:36.899 --> 00:25:39.180 Is it our vision of a flourishing, 00:25:39.319 --> 00:25:39.919 successful life? 00:25:40.000 --> 00:25:40.940 Whatever that is, 00:25:41.419 --> 00:25:42.119 our credentials, 00:25:42.359 --> 00:25:42.500 right? 00:25:42.539 --> 00:25:43.460 Our education, 00:25:43.680 --> 00:25:44.359 whatever it is, 00:25:44.440 --> 00:25:46.200 you have to go to the very foundation of that. 00:25:46.339 --> 00:25:47.480 Sit at the foot of that mountain. 00:25:48.240 --> 00:25:52.500 And then allow the gospel to completely call everything into question. 00:25:53.119 --> 00:25:55.940 Allow it to begin to rebuild you from the ground up 00:25:55.940 --> 00:25:57.880 so that you begin to become a new person. 00:25:58.100 --> 00:26:00.019 And this happens through contemplation. 00:26:00.380 --> 00:26:01.059 It happens through, 00:26:01.160 --> 00:26:01.940 as Paul is doing, 00:26:02.019 --> 00:26:02.940 the study of scripture, 00:26:03.860 --> 00:26:06.000 reflecting on the truth of what we know about Jesus, 00:26:06.180 --> 00:26:07.940 reflecting on our own conversion, 00:26:08.740 --> 00:26:11.820 and asking very deep, 00:26:11.920 --> 00:26:12.160 hard, 00:26:12.279 --> 00:26:13.660 penetrating questions of ourselves. 00:26:14.480 --> 00:26:14.700 Right? 00:26:14.759 --> 00:26:15.580 Questions like this. 00:26:16.080 --> 00:26:18.279 Do I believe the true gospel, 00:26:18.500 --> 00:26:22.460 or have I bought into some version of the gospel? 00:26:22.460 --> 00:26:23.279 That's a counterfeit. 00:26:24.000 --> 00:26:26.279 Am I really thinking in therapeutic terms? 00:26:26.880 --> 00:26:29.600 Or do I really understand what the true gospel says? 00:26:29.700 --> 00:26:31.799 And how do we know if we're out of balance? 00:26:31.900 --> 00:26:32.019 Well, 00:26:32.039 --> 00:26:33.660 we have to continually come back to scripture. 00:26:35.620 --> 00:26:37.640 It's one of the things we try to do every Sunday here, 00:26:37.700 --> 00:26:42.440 is to recenter ourselves and reclarify what do we mean when we say gospel. 00:26:43.039 --> 00:26:44.100 What is our faith based on? 00:26:44.180 --> 00:26:44.299 So, 00:26:44.420 --> 00:26:45.480 do I believe the true gospel? 00:26:46.440 --> 00:26:47.539 What are my motivations? 00:26:47.799 --> 00:26:47.960 You know, 00:26:48.000 --> 00:26:48.759 you ask your heart, 00:26:48.920 --> 00:26:51.120 why am I really motivated to do the things that I do? 00:26:51.119 --> 00:26:52.279 Am I motivated by guilt? 00:26:53.079 --> 00:26:54.479 Am I motivated by shame? 00:26:55.039 --> 00:26:58.119 Am I motivated by a desire to win somebody's approval? 00:26:58.839 --> 00:27:01.659 Or am I motivated purely by the love of my heavenly father? 00:27:02.579 --> 00:27:03.779 What motivates me? 00:27:03.859 --> 00:27:06.779 And how does my understanding of the gospel line up with that? 00:27:07.899 --> 00:27:09.139 If the gospel is true, 00:27:09.339 --> 00:27:11.479 is that what should motivate me? 00:27:12.599 --> 00:27:12.799 Right? 00:27:12.919 --> 00:27:16.079 Are we still desiring to prove ourselves to other people? 00:27:16.439 --> 00:27:18.719 Or have we become servants of Christ? 00:27:20.159 --> 00:27:20.599 Right? 00:27:20.599 --> 00:27:20.639 Right? 00:27:20.879 --> 00:27:22.619 Here's another one that I ask from time to time. 00:27:23.719 --> 00:27:28.179 What do you think God feels when you come into his mind? 00:27:29.740 --> 00:27:29.959 Right? 00:27:29.959 --> 00:27:34.799 If God's there and all of a sudden sort of his thoughts turn to you, 00:27:34.919 --> 00:27:38.319 what do you think God feels when you come into his mind? 00:27:39.399 --> 00:27:39.639 You know, 00:27:39.659 --> 00:27:41.779 most people would say disappointment. 00:27:43.240 --> 00:27:44.459 He should be doing more. 00:27:45.199 --> 00:27:45.359 You know, 00:27:45.399 --> 00:27:46.939 she should get her act together. 00:27:46.940 --> 00:27:47.580 You know, 00:27:47.700 --> 00:27:51.620 and does that line up with what we believe about the gospel? 00:27:52.360 --> 00:27:54.400 Because if the gospel is true, 00:27:55.160 --> 00:27:58.340 then the answer to that question is delight. 00:28:00.180 --> 00:28:02.580 That when you come into God's mind, 00:28:02.960 --> 00:28:04.680 he feels delight. 00:28:04.680 --> 00:28:05.240 Now, 00:28:05.240 --> 00:28:08.180 I don't know if you believe that. 00:28:09.600 --> 00:28:11.480 But that's fundamental to believe in the gospel. 00:28:12.640 --> 00:28:12.960 Right? 00:28:13.000 --> 00:28:14.860 When it comes to divisive issues, 00:28:14.940 --> 00:28:17.100 and Lord knows we have enough of those. 00:28:17.779 --> 00:28:17.980 You know, 00:28:18.000 --> 00:28:19.440 we were talking about racism earlier. 00:28:20.019 --> 00:28:22.180 Another big divisive issue has been the Kavanaugh hearing. 00:28:22.460 --> 00:28:22.680 Right? 00:28:22.700 --> 00:28:24.680 And I know there's lots of strong opinions about that. 00:28:24.680 --> 00:28:27.259 But when it comes to issues like this, 00:28:28.019 --> 00:28:31.100 which response is your heart more likely to have? 00:28:31.200 --> 00:28:32.620 What is your heart tendency? 00:28:33.220 --> 00:28:34.920 Are you more prone in your heart, 00:28:35.500 --> 00:28:36.940 when these issues come up, 00:28:37.259 --> 00:28:40.720 to condemnation or contrition? 00:28:42.440 --> 00:28:43.880 What's your knee-jerk reaction? 00:28:44.120 --> 00:28:44.240 Right? 00:28:44.600 --> 00:28:45.900 When issues like this come up, 00:28:45.920 --> 00:28:47.279 are you more prone to haughtiness? 00:28:49.060 --> 00:28:50.060 Or to humility? 00:28:50.059 --> 00:28:53.740 And then how do those knee-jerk responses 00:28:53.740 --> 00:28:54.779 line up with the gospel? 00:28:54.919 --> 00:28:55.019 See, 00:28:55.099 --> 00:28:58.119 these are the ways that we need to preach the gospel to ourselves. 00:28:58.859 --> 00:29:00.299 Preach the gospel to our hearts. 00:29:02.039 --> 00:29:02.399 Right? 00:29:02.460 --> 00:29:03.599 If you're prone to be haughty, 00:29:03.619 --> 00:29:04.299 and you're prone to say, 00:29:04.419 --> 00:29:04.599 you know, 00:29:04.639 --> 00:29:04.879 well, 00:29:05.279 --> 00:29:05.980 if I had been, 00:29:06.039 --> 00:29:07.599 I can't believe they screwed that up so much. 00:29:07.659 --> 00:29:08.859 If I had been making the decisions, 00:29:08.940 --> 00:29:10.079 it would have gone completely differently. 00:29:10.220 --> 00:29:10.419 You know, 00:29:10.500 --> 00:29:11.960 whatever the case may be, 00:29:12.379 --> 00:29:14.039 you have to preach the gospel to yourself. 00:29:15.119 --> 00:29:18.159 You have to preach the truth of Jesus Christ to yourself. 00:29:18.160 --> 00:29:23.900 I say all this because I believe that God has put Christians in the world 00:29:23.900 --> 00:29:25.759 for just such a time as this. 00:29:26.500 --> 00:29:27.860 You look at a divided world. 00:29:27.960 --> 00:29:29.240 You look at society falling apart. 00:29:29.380 --> 00:29:29.900 You look at a, 00:29:30.080 --> 00:29:30.600 you know, 00:29:30.640 --> 00:29:32.320 social fabric being torn to pieces. 00:29:33.040 --> 00:29:35.880 This is why God has established the church. 00:29:36.320 --> 00:29:36.840 It's not, 00:29:36.940 --> 00:29:38.540 it's not just for the good times. 00:29:38.800 --> 00:29:40.480 It's not just when everything's going well, 00:29:40.680 --> 00:29:41.980 and the economy's booming, 00:29:42.060 --> 00:29:42.960 and everybody's united, 00:29:43.100 --> 00:29:43.340 right? 00:29:44.360 --> 00:29:45.519 Rarely has that happened. 00:29:45.920 --> 00:29:46.600 And believe me, 00:29:46.640 --> 00:29:47.380 if you look at history, 00:29:47.380 --> 00:29:49.380 there have been times far worse than this. 00:29:50.260 --> 00:29:51.100 This is nothing. 00:29:52.800 --> 00:29:55.960 But God has instituted his church for just such a time as this, 00:29:56.740 --> 00:29:56.980 right? 00:29:57.020 --> 00:29:59.620 When there is a tremendous need for healing, 00:30:00.320 --> 00:30:01.320 socially and spiritually, 00:30:01.820 --> 00:30:02.880 in our nation, 00:30:02.960 --> 00:30:03.520 in our world. 00:30:04.420 --> 00:30:05.680 This is why we're here. 00:30:06.040 --> 00:30:07.440 The church is God's plan A, 00:30:07.540 --> 00:30:07.840 is the, 00:30:07.880 --> 00:30:10.760 is the ongoing presence and ministry of Jesus Christ. 00:30:10.840 --> 00:30:11.720 And there is no plan B. 00:30:11.720 --> 00:30:17.059 But in order for us to be a part of the solution in the world, 00:30:17.600 --> 00:30:20.660 in order for us to be ministers of reconciliation, 00:30:21.220 --> 00:30:22.640 as God's word called us, 00:30:22.819 --> 00:30:24.279 it has to begin with us, 00:30:25.059 --> 00:30:25.960 right? 00:30:25.980 --> 00:30:27.519 It has to begin with our own hearts. 00:30:29.059 --> 00:30:32.819 We have to be aware of the false gospels in our midst, 00:30:32.880 --> 00:30:34.240 and the curses that they bring. 00:30:34.240 --> 00:30:39.279 We have to continually recenter ourselves on the person and the work of Jesus Christ. 00:30:39.400 --> 00:30:39.859 We have to, 00:30:40.339 --> 00:30:41.440 as often as we can, 00:30:41.559 --> 00:30:42.480 confess our sin 00:30:42.480 --> 00:30:44.079 and seek God's mercy. 00:30:44.960 --> 00:30:46.980 We have to get our own house in order. 00:30:48.599 --> 00:30:49.039 Right? 00:30:49.039 --> 00:30:51.339 As James K.A. Smith says in his book, 00:30:51.440 --> 00:30:52.240 Awaiting the King, 00:30:52.559 --> 00:30:52.920 he says, 00:30:53.019 --> 00:30:56.359 the church is the body politic of the city of God. 00:30:57.759 --> 00:30:58.500 In other words, 00:30:58.579 --> 00:31:01.599 the church is the foretaste of new creation. 00:31:02.220 --> 00:31:05.039 It's a preview of the world as it will one day be 00:31:05.039 --> 00:31:07.039 when God's work is completed. 00:31:07.680 --> 00:31:09.279 And what that means is this, 00:31:09.839 --> 00:31:12.980 is that the church is the first place, 00:31:13.079 --> 00:31:14.619 it's the first institution, 00:31:14.619 --> 00:31:20.459 where things like racism and poverty and injustice 00:31:20.459 --> 00:31:22.599 should be completely eradicated. 00:31:24.399 --> 00:31:29.199 Because the church is a preview of the world as it will one day be 00:31:29.199 --> 00:31:33.339 when Jesus has once and for all eradicated these evils from the world 00:31:33.339 --> 00:31:35.419 and wiped away every tear 00:31:35.419 --> 00:31:38.939 and has established his throne forever and ever. 00:31:39.979 --> 00:31:40.699 Let's pray.