WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.799 So, we're going to think about those three verses in his introduction from verses three to five, 00:00:05.879 --> 00:00:13.919 and think together about God's glory in the gospel of grace. And I think as we begin, 00:00:14.000 --> 00:00:22.059 it's important for us to recognize that in the first place, this text is not really about us. 00:00:22.719 --> 00:00:29.320 When you think about where the focus and attention falls, it's all on the God of glory. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:36.740 It's all about the grace that he shows. It's all about the gospel, the good news of his 00:00:36.740 --> 00:00:45.219 rescue mission. And we can push that further to recognize that one of the important lessons that 00:00:45.219 --> 00:00:53.560 the Bible teaches us is that our lives are not primarily to be about us. For those of us raised 00:00:53.560 --> 00:01:01.080 in the catechism, our primary purpose, our chief end, is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever, 00:01:01.219 --> 00:01:11.159 to find our joy in recognizing that his glory is our greatest good. And when we come to a text like 00:01:11.159 --> 00:01:17.379 this and to a letter like Galatians, we can absolutely say that primarily our salvation 00:01:17.379 --> 00:01:26.819 is not about us, but it's about God and it's to his glory. It's all about, the focus falls on the gospel 00:01:26.819 --> 00:01:37.159 of grace. God the Father who sends the Son, God the Father who plans for salvation, God the Father who 00:01:37.159 --> 00:01:45.359 calls, the Spirit who gives new birth, Jesus the one who comes and dies in our place. We receive the 00:01:45.359 --> 00:01:50.219 gift of faith, God the one who starts the work of salvation and finishes the work of salvation. 00:01:50.219 --> 00:01:58.019 Everything is from God so that God would get all the praise and the glory. And that's how Paul begins 00:01:58.019 --> 00:02:06.319 this letter. And it's important, I think, for us to hear that because this is our great need as people 00:02:06.319 --> 00:02:17.199 that we would always be seeking and finding true glory. Because by nature, I think without exception, 00:02:17.199 --> 00:02:25.519 we are all glory hunters. We are all glory hunters in the sense that we are always looking for something 00:02:25.519 --> 00:02:33.780 to give our hearts to, something that we will find our great joy and satisfaction in, and that will 00:02:33.780 --> 00:02:41.639 always lead us towards particular kinds of temptations. We might find, seek to find our glory in 00:02:41.639 --> 00:02:53.519 our good grades or in our good looks. We might be tempted to find our sense of significance and self in 00:02:53.519 --> 00:03:04.019 our careers or in our children. We might be aspiring towards finding our glory in our workplace or in what 00:03:04.019 --> 00:03:11.619 we purchase with our wealth, and finding the approval of others or resting in the abilities that we 00:03:11.639 --> 00:03:20.779 have. We're all looking for glory. Like people on the beach that you sometimes see with the metal 00:03:20.779 --> 00:03:28.539 detectors, you know, spending hours combing the beach, searching for great treasure, waiting for the buzz 00:03:28.539 --> 00:03:37.979 that says there's something here. Let's dig in. Our great need as people, and certainly our great need 00:03:37.979 --> 00:03:45.759 as Christian people is to seek and to find the right treasure. To think about the difference of the joy when 00:03:45.759 --> 00:03:57.959 we find true gold versus digging down, discovering the rusty tin can. We need to aim high to see and to pursue 00:03:57.959 --> 00:04:07.679 the God of infinite glory. That's the treasure that we want to seek, to be humbled, to be captivated by the 00:04:07.680 --> 00:04:14.640 worth and the majesty of Almighty God who's been so good as to send His Son to save us. 00:04:18.100 --> 00:04:24.180 And that's why Paul writes his letter. He writes this letter to these Christians, recent Christians, 00:04:24.460 --> 00:04:29.639 to defend the gospel of grace and glory. And Galatians is a really powerful letter. It's very different to 00:04:29.639 --> 00:04:35.600 his other letters. There's no greetings. There's a real sense of urgency. He doesn't pull any punches. 00:04:35.600 --> 00:04:40.960 There's a really strong defense of the gospel, which has come under attack. 00:04:42.640 --> 00:04:49.879 We got a sense of that in our readings. There are evidently, verse 7 of chapter 1, people throwing 00:04:49.879 --> 00:04:55.460 them into confusion, trying to pervert or to twist the gospel. And Paul says, if anyone does that, 00:04:55.540 --> 00:05:02.439 let them be under God's curse. He begins chapter 3 by suggesting that they've been bewitched. They've 00:05:02.439 --> 00:05:09.360 come under this spell of false teachers who are trying to tell them, no, you don't just need Jesus, 00:05:09.839 --> 00:05:19.220 you need the old Jewish laws. And so he launches into a passionate defense of the gospel of grace. 00:05:19.879 --> 00:05:27.439 Now, why does he do that? If we stop and think about it. Now, these false teachers are saying 00:05:27.439 --> 00:05:38.459 that we can achieve a level of righteousness by effort and by law-keeping that will earn our way 00:05:38.459 --> 00:05:46.659 into the kingdom of God. There are those who are suggesting that we must contribute something to our 00:05:46.659 --> 00:05:53.360 salvation. Yes, trust in Jesus, but you must also bring your goodness, bring your obedience, bring your 00:05:53.360 --> 00:06:00.780 Sabbath observance, bring your dietary laws. It's, yes, it's Jesus, but it's Jesus plus something else. 00:06:01.660 --> 00:06:12.120 And why does Paul attack that false teaching so severely? Because he is concerned for the glory of 00:06:12.120 --> 00:06:17.540 God. And if we contribute to our salvation, then to me belongs at least some of the glory. 00:06:17.540 --> 00:06:25.280 And that's not the gospel. That's an absolute twisting of the gospel. Because what does that do? 00:06:25.340 --> 00:06:31.600 That steals glory from God. If I'm contributing to my salvation, then I have in some way earned it, 00:06:31.640 --> 00:06:36.540 and then it ceases to be grace. It ceases to be gift. It makes amazing grace a small thing. 00:06:37.439 --> 00:06:43.580 And so Paul writes this letter to defend the gospel so that God gets the glory. 00:06:43.579 --> 00:06:49.500 And so I thought it'd be helpful for us to begin the gospel this way. Martin Luther, 00:06:49.740 --> 00:06:55.319 in his commentary on the book of Galatians, reminds us that the gospel is the principal 00:06:55.319 --> 00:06:58.339 article of the Christian faith. And he says, 00:06:58.339 --> 00:07:22.319 We always need to remind ourselves and to remind others of the gospel. The song on repeat in our 00:07:22.319 --> 00:07:30.560 lives needs to be the song of amazing grace in Christ alone so that to God be the glory. 00:07:31.560 --> 00:07:37.319 So for a few minutes, let's get hammering. We'll think about grace. We'll think about gospel. 00:07:37.659 --> 00:07:44.339 We'll think about glory. Let's read verse 3 again. Grace and peace to you from God our Father 00:07:44.339 --> 00:07:55.959 and the Lord Jesus Christ. What is grace? Grace is God's unmerited favor. Grace is God showing loving 00:07:55.959 --> 00:08:02.559 kindness to those who don't deserve it. In fact, grace is God showing loving kindness to those who 00:08:02.559 --> 00:08:10.419 deserve the exact opposite. We deserve condemnation, but instead by God's grace and kindness, we receive 00:08:10.420 --> 00:08:24.600 love. Grace is also God doing for us what we cannot do for ourselves. God in Christ Jesus is the one who 00:08:24.600 --> 00:08:34.980 saves us, when without Him we would be spiritually lost and spiritually dead. God in Christ, by His grace, 00:08:34.980 --> 00:08:42.240 puts us in right standing with Him so that by faith in Jesus we are declared righteous. We can never be 00:08:42.240 --> 00:08:50.539 righteous enough, good enough, holy enough for God by ourselves. Our salvation, our position, our 00:08:50.539 --> 00:08:56.100 righteousness comes as a gift through the work of Jesus. So you've maybe heard the acronym for grace, 00:08:56.100 --> 00:09:04.960 God's riches at Christ's expense. That's grace. Jesus goes through that experience of 00:09:04.980 --> 00:09:14.340 becoming a curse so that we enjoy blessing God's riches at Christ's expense. Grace is also the truth 00:09:14.340 --> 00:09:23.120 that God freely chooses to save us. That was there in verse 4. This all happens according to the will of 00:09:23.120 --> 00:09:32.399 our God and Father. God doesn't save us because He looks down on people and He sees some particular merit 00:09:32.399 --> 00:09:38.179 or goodness in a Christian and goodness in a Christian and says, this one deserves my salvation and 00:09:38.179 --> 00:09:46.559 forgiveness. God doesn't look into the pages of future history and say, this one will live such a good 00:09:46.559 --> 00:09:54.179 life and have such a good track record that they of all people deserve my loving kindness. No, God loves us 00:09:54.179 --> 00:10:03.319 because He chooses to love us. It's nothing of us. It's all of God. And grace is this golden thread that 00:10:03.319 --> 00:10:10.719 runs all the way through Galatians. And again, we heard some of this in chapter 1 verse 6. There is 00:10:10.719 --> 00:10:17.139 this reminder that grace is what we live in. It's not just that grace saves us, it's also that grace that 00:10:17.139 --> 00:10:23.179 sustains us to live the Christian life. So He can say, I'm astonished that you're so quickly deserting 00:10:23.179 --> 00:10:27.919 the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ. Grace is the air we breathe. 00:10:29.839 --> 00:10:38.120 Chapter 3 is an extended reflection on the story of Abraham, the man of faith. And to flip to chapter 3 00:10:38.120 --> 00:10:47.759 verse 18, if the inheritance, if receiving the blessing depends on the law, then it no longer depends 00:10:47.759 --> 00:10:55.620 on the promise. But God in His grace gave it to Abraham through a promise. And it's point, Abraham 00:10:55.620 --> 00:11:05.039 received the gift by grace, and so do we. To enjoy the promises of God, the blessing of God, it's a gift 00:11:05.039 --> 00:11:14.279 freely given. Or chapter 5 verse 4, here it is negatively, you who are trying to be justified by the law 00:11:14.279 --> 00:11:23.100 have been alienated from Christ. You have fallen away from grace. To put that positively, Paul is saying, 00:11:23.419 --> 00:11:29.279 grace is the way to live the Christian life of joyful obedience with full freedom. 00:11:30.639 --> 00:11:34.860 So grace is central to Galatians because grace is central to the gospel, 00:11:36.120 --> 00:11:40.039 but we need to understand that grace is absolutely counter-cultural. 00:11:40.039 --> 00:11:48.579 The operating system of our world, the air that we breathe, is that you work hard in order to get 00:11:48.579 --> 00:11:55.439 reward. It's why we encourage children and young people to study hard, so they'll get good grades. 00:11:55.679 --> 00:12:00.000 We encourage people to work hard, so they'll get the right job, so they'll get the promotion. 00:12:00.679 --> 00:12:06.819 You put in the hours, you get the rewards. It's even there in the power of advertising. If you can find 00:12:06.820 --> 00:12:13.940 and purchase the right product, happiness is yours, status is yours, recognition will be yours. 00:12:17.620 --> 00:12:25.820 It's the operating system of our world. But if we apply that system to how we get to know God, 00:12:26.360 --> 00:12:34.740 it becomes a real problem. If a person thinks, well, here's what I must do. I must bring my good deeds, 00:12:34.740 --> 00:12:40.799 and I must bring my moral religious performance. I must bring my record of attendance at church or 00:12:40.799 --> 00:12:46.159 Bible reading or prayer. And if I've got enough to bring to the table, then surely God will be pleased 00:12:46.159 --> 00:12:55.100 with me and accept me and must reward me with salvation. And the gospel is absolutely opposite to that. 00:12:55.100 --> 00:13:06.519 Christianity doesn't work that way. It comes as gift. And so grace has that function of humbling us. 00:13:07.519 --> 00:13:19.340 To enter the kingdom, we must go through the low door of repentance and humility and come in on our knees, 00:13:19.340 --> 00:13:29.740 aware of our weakness and our need of mercy, understanding that actually we are way more sinful than we ever imagined. 00:13:30.399 --> 00:13:35.740 And we are far more helpless than often we like to admit. But at the same time, 00:13:36.860 --> 00:13:44.000 the wonderful truth of God's grace also gives us a humble confidence. It lifts us up, 00:13:44.000 --> 00:13:50.980 as it reminds us that God in Christ Jesus has freely shown us love. He has freely provided salvation. 00:13:51.340 --> 00:13:56.100 He's given us all the glory that we need. And it's a gift to receive by faith. 00:13:59.299 --> 00:14:05.720 Paul also reminds us here who gives grace. Grace and peace to you from God our Father 00:14:05.720 --> 00:14:15.820 and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace comes from God. It's all from God. He gives us this unmerited favor, 00:14:16.360 --> 00:14:25.180 which brings peace. The peace of restored relationships is a gift from God. 00:14:26.560 --> 00:14:33.600 As Christians, the fact that we are no longer God's enemies, that we are no longer estranged and far away 00:14:33.600 --> 00:14:42.700 from Him. That's a gift. That we can have peace in our conscience. To know that we are not condemned 00:14:42.700 --> 00:14:51.320 because we're trusting in Jesus, that's a gift of grace. And so, grace is the air that we breathe, 00:14:51.440 --> 00:14:58.660 and it's something that we celebrate. Before moving on, whenever we talk about grace, 00:14:58.659 --> 00:15:04.399 we inevitably, I inevitably, talk about John Newton. Did you know John Newton's most famous hymn, Amazing 00:15:04.399 --> 00:15:12.959 Grace, was a New Year's hymn, all the way back in 1773, to be sung in the small church of Olney, 00:15:14.000 --> 00:15:22.559 an invitation to reflect on the kindness of God over long years. Amazing grace. 00:15:22.559 --> 00:15:28.899 Grace. And it was something he understood and lived by in his personal experience, having been saved from 00:15:28.899 --> 00:15:37.119 being a wretch, as he was happy to describe himself, to become a pastor. All his life, he understood 00:15:37.119 --> 00:15:42.639 the beauty and the wonder of grace. His last recorded words to a friend the day before he died, 00:15:43.500 --> 00:15:47.359 there are many things I have forgotten, but these two things I remember. I am a great sinner, 00:15:47.360 --> 00:15:55.940 and God is a great Savior. Grace is how we live. It gives us that humble confidence. 00:15:56.919 --> 00:16:04.800 Well, from grace, let's move to think about the gospel in verse 4. Paul's train of thought continues, 00:16:05.840 --> 00:16:13.820 who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age according to the will of our God 00:16:13.820 --> 00:16:21.060 and favor. So, here is this really condensed summary of the gospel, the good news at the heart of our 00:16:21.060 --> 00:16:27.080 faith, which serves to bring glory to God. If you're here tonight and you're not a Christian, 00:16:27.180 --> 00:16:31.980 this is something that you need to know and to experience for yourself. And if you are a Christian, 00:16:32.300 --> 00:16:41.320 this is our story. These are truths to rest in and to pass on to others. So, let's ask some basic 00:16:41.320 --> 00:16:47.960 questions that get us to the heart of the gospel. First of all, what does this verse say about who we are? 00:16:49.320 --> 00:17:00.420 And the answer is that we are those who need rescue. According to this verse, we are those who are 00:17:00.420 --> 00:17:08.620 spiritually helpless and spiritually lost, and we need rescue. We need a rescuer. 00:17:08.619 --> 00:17:16.799 So, we don't need, as the false teachers were saying, more religion and more law-keeping. 00:17:18.979 --> 00:17:27.079 Our need is greater than more education or ethics or some kind of moral top-up. We need Jesus, 00:17:27.179 --> 00:17:38.339 the rescuer, who said in Mark 10 verse 45, He came to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many. 00:17:38.619 --> 00:17:47.179 The idea of the ransom price was a price that was paid to release someone from slavery or from a debt 00:17:47.179 --> 00:17:54.679 they couldn't escape from or because they were a prisoner of war. So, imagine someone held in a prison 00:17:54.679 --> 00:18:01.059 in a deep, dark dungeon, unable to rescue themselves. That's the position that we find ourselves in 00:18:01.059 --> 00:18:11.599 as Jesus describes in. Luke chapter 19 verse 10, Jesus said, He came to seek and to save the lost. 00:18:12.859 --> 00:18:21.940 And so, Christianity is unapologetically a rescue religion. Jesus is, first and foremost, 00:18:21.940 --> 00:18:32.700 a rescuer. And we are a people who stand in desperate need of rescue. And it's interesting to notice what 00:18:32.700 --> 00:18:42.340 Paul says we need rescued from. He gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age. 00:18:42.339 --> 00:18:51.019 This is like Bible shorthand to describe the nature of life ever since the fall into sin, 00:18:51.159 --> 00:18:58.399 way back in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve. Ever since mankind turned their back on God, 00:18:58.500 --> 00:19:04.079 rejected His Word, decided that we wanted the glory and we wanted to take God's position, 00:19:04.079 --> 00:19:12.659 salvation. Life has been marked by sin that leads to death. And there is the reality of the slavery 00:19:12.659 --> 00:19:20.279 of the devil. And so, Jesus comes on a rescue mission to bring in the new age. 00:19:21.839 --> 00:19:28.319 In the coming of Christ, there is this new power. God has invaded His creation, and through the work of 00:19:28.319 --> 00:19:34.019 Jesus, by His grace, sin has been removed, and eternal life has been provided, a new creation, 00:19:34.019 --> 00:19:44.519 a new creation, breaks in, and to enjoy life in the new age. We need Jesus to rescue us. It's the gospel. 00:19:47.299 --> 00:19:54.940 So, if we are those who need rescued, who is Jesus and what did He do? We've already thought about the 00:19:54.940 --> 00:19:58.639 fact that Jesus is the rescuer. And notice the language at the beginning of verse 4, 00:19:58.640 --> 00:20:07.140 He gave Himself for our sins. Here is the language of sacrifice and substitution. Here is a reminder 00:20:07.140 --> 00:20:17.040 that Jesus came in order to die on the cross. The cross is God's way for sinful people to be put right 00:20:17.040 --> 00:20:25.100 with Himself. It is the way of atonement for sin to be removed, for the penalty to be paid, 00:20:25.099 --> 00:20:34.500 as Jesus faces the wrath of God on our behalf. The gospel says that trusting in Jesus, we are shielded 00:20:34.500 --> 00:20:43.379 and saved. The punishment that should fall on us falls on Jesus instead. Or to move into the courtroom. 00:20:44.939 --> 00:20:51.099 The book of Revelation reminds us that Jesus has been appointed as God's judge. But the wonderful thing 00:20:51.099 --> 00:20:59.539 about the gospel is that Jesus, the judge, is judged in our place. The sentence of death is passed on our 00:20:59.539 --> 00:21:06.699 sin and rebellion. But it's Jesus, the judge, who goes into the dock and who takes our sentence, 00:21:07.539 --> 00:21:15.039 and who faces the penalty in full. So that as Christians, we can live knowing the verdict, 00:21:15.039 --> 00:21:23.680 God's verdict on our lives is already in. That Jesus died in our place. That God is pleased with 00:21:23.680 --> 00:21:27.680 that sacrifice. We know that because of the resurrection. So if we're trusting in Jesus, 00:21:27.799 --> 00:21:35.079 we know our sins are fully and finally completely forgiven, and there is no condemnation for us. 00:21:36.500 --> 00:21:43.339 And what about the Father in the gospel? Notice that Paul says, end of verse 4, 00:21:43.339 --> 00:21:52.779 all this is according to the will of our God and Father. It reminds us that God the Father authors 00:21:52.779 --> 00:22:00.699 the rescue plan. It's not Jesus acting on his own and forcing the Father reluctantly to save us. No, 00:22:00.740 --> 00:22:09.459 the Father in love sends the Son according to his will. That the God of grace willed his people's 00:22:09.460 --> 00:22:17.680 salvation. That before the world was even created, God the Father willed that he would set his love 00:22:17.680 --> 00:22:23.660 on his people, that he would choose them, and that he would send his Son to come and die in our place 00:22:23.660 --> 00:22:32.340 for our sin. God willed that his Son would be the only means of salvation. God willed that the Spirit 00:22:32.339 --> 00:22:39.879 would come to open blind eyes and dead hearts to receive his love and grace so that all of salvation 00:22:39.879 --> 00:22:48.919 tends toward his praise and glory. God's work of salvation through Christ doesn't simply open up 00:22:48.919 --> 00:22:56.519 the door of possibility for salvation. So salvation might happen if people will turn and trust. No, 00:22:56.519 --> 00:23:06.740 it's accomplished. It's definite. It's effective. That absolutely we must believe, we must respond, 00:23:07.519 --> 00:23:17.799 but that faith that causes us to respond is itself a gift of God. That not one of us would be willing 00:23:17.799 --> 00:23:24.899 to become Christians unless God worked in our hearts to make us willing to repent and to believe. 00:23:27.299 --> 00:23:33.779 So having thought about those realities in the gospel, let's just pause for a moment and let me 00:23:33.779 --> 00:23:42.960 encourage us to be praying in light of the gospel. If you're not yet a follower of Jesus, 00:23:42.960 --> 00:23:55.539 to pray to ask God for the humility required to see your need of the Savior, to pray that God would 00:23:55.539 --> 00:24:00.700 work to soften your heart to the wonder of Jesus, to open your heart to him as Lord and Savior. 00:24:03.160 --> 00:24:09.160 And as we pray, if we're Christians, as we're praying for friends and family and colleagues, 00:24:09.160 --> 00:24:17.860 let's remember that because salvation is a gift of God and God is powerful, He is able to save people. 00:24:18.700 --> 00:24:26.980 The people we've been praying for for long years, we can keep on praying, trusting that God is powerful. 00:24:30.240 --> 00:24:34.120 And as we think about the good news of the gospel and the urgency of the gospel, 00:24:34.119 --> 00:24:40.379 at the start of the year, let me encourage us all to be praying about our gospel mission, 00:24:41.459 --> 00:24:48.539 both collectively as a church, but also personally. You know, what comes from our pulpit week by week, 00:24:48.619 --> 00:24:52.419 but also as we're going about our business and we're sharing our personal faith. 00:24:53.919 --> 00:25:01.559 To pray for opportunities to communicate clearly who Jesus is, what Jesus has done, what Jesus means to us. 00:25:01.559 --> 00:25:09.259 To pray for courage and joy that would point people to Christ our King. That as we would understand, 00:25:09.379 --> 00:25:14.159 we have this rich treasure in the gospel that we wouldn't just hoard it to ourselves, we want to 00:25:14.159 --> 00:25:25.039 share it with others. Well, that's grace and that's the gospel. The third G to think about is glory, 00:25:25.039 --> 00:25:32.019 because that's where Paul ends in verse 5, having reflected on God's grace and the gospel. He says, 00:25:32.519 --> 00:25:40.559 to whom, God the Father, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. 00:25:43.139 --> 00:25:48.639 Perhaps to help us to see why Paul finishes this way. When people look at a wonderful statue, 00:25:48.740 --> 00:25:52.659 if you like art and you see a wonderful statue, you think about Michelangelo's David, 00:25:52.660 --> 00:25:57.100 I guess is a famous example. You don't find people sort of gazing and wondering and saying, 00:25:57.340 --> 00:26:03.800 well done, that rock. Great job. We know, don't we, that as we look at a sculpture, we say, 00:26:03.940 --> 00:26:12.400 all glory belongs to the artist. That's where praise properly belongs. And so, it's right and proper and 00:26:12.400 --> 00:26:20.300 fitting that as Paul recognizes God the author and artist in the good news of our salvation, 00:26:20.299 --> 00:26:26.259 as he is the one who is able to carry out this rescue mission on those who without him would be 00:26:26.259 --> 00:26:32.299 spiritually dead, as he gives us life, as he shapes us into the image of Christ, as he prepares us for 00:26:32.299 --> 00:26:41.480 eternal glory, he recognizes that all glory belongs to him from beginning to end. And so, as he concludes 00:26:41.480 --> 00:26:51.220 this introduction to his letter, this defense of the gospel of grace, he says, God alone is worthy of 00:26:51.220 --> 00:26:59.240 eternal glory. This God who makes peace, God who reconciles sinners, making peace through the blood 00:26:59.240 --> 00:27:08.579 of Jesus, the God who rescues sinners by the cross of Christ, defeating sin and death and the devil to 00:27:08.579 --> 00:27:18.039 give us forgiveness and eternal life. This is the God of grace and glory, the God who deserves all praise and 00:27:18.039 --> 00:27:31.319 glory. So, as we come towards the end, what should we do with this? How do we respond to this truth and to 00:27:31.319 --> 00:27:45.519 this God? Let me suggest a couple of resolutions for us. The first one, let's resolve to enjoy the gospel. 00:27:47.000 --> 00:27:54.059 Tom Schreiner in his book on Paul's theology uses a building image. Lots of people are asking the question, 00:27:54.159 --> 00:28:00.319 what's at the center of Paul's thought and theology, or what's the foundation for his mission? What is it 00:28:00.319 --> 00:28:08.599 that gives him sort of great joy and purpose? The leading thought? Tom Schreiner uses the idea that the 00:28:08.599 --> 00:28:17.679 foundation of Paul's theology at the heart of his mission is God's glory in Christ Jesus. That's the 00:28:17.679 --> 00:28:29.559 foundation upon which all other truths are built. Let's enjoy how wonderful and glorious our God is. 00:28:30.319 --> 00:28:37.019 And let's seek to know more of him in this coming year, to change the house, the building image. 00:28:38.720 --> 00:28:47.779 Think about a palace. Imagine you've got freedom to explore a palace where every room offers fresh 00:28:47.779 --> 00:28:55.039 delights and wonderful treasures. That's the Word of God. That's the gospel. That's the glory of God. 00:28:55.039 --> 00:29:04.279 Wherever we look. And we have opportunity to discover new and wonderful things about our God and our Savior. 00:29:05.819 --> 00:29:16.779 So, let's enjoy God together in His Word, letting His glory lead us to praise as we see in Paul. 00:29:16.779 --> 00:29:23.200 How can we grow to enjoy more of God's glory? There's lots of ways, I think, practically. 00:29:24.379 --> 00:29:28.579 Perhaps at the start of the year, it's the time to figure out a reading plan, 00:29:29.359 --> 00:29:35.039 or a plan of some podcast you're going to listen to, or a Bible reading plan, 00:29:35.399 --> 00:29:43.000 where you're going to be able to make time to stop and to think about great truths. 00:29:43.000 --> 00:29:49.720 And to do that with the desire, I want to see more of God's glory, 00:29:50.500 --> 00:29:57.339 so that my joy would more and more be in Him. I want to increase my appetite in the goodness of God, 00:29:57.519 --> 00:30:01.359 because I need it for my own faith. And also, the more excited I am about Jesus, 00:30:01.500 --> 00:30:04.019 then the more likely I am to talk about Him in my witness. 00:30:05.960 --> 00:30:11.220 Still some good books up there that can certainly stimulate our thinking. 00:30:11.220 --> 00:30:20.519 Let's embrace the wonderful truths of the gospel, that God is the author of salvation, 00:30:20.640 --> 00:30:25.799 that He alone saves, that Jesus has paid it all, that what God starts, God finishes, 00:30:25.940 --> 00:30:31.660 that we are free, and we must leave behind every thought of, 00:30:31.660 --> 00:30:40.840 I must save myself. I must work myself into God's good books. Rather, we can rest and find joy 00:30:40.840 --> 00:30:47.600 in Christ alone. When we mess up and when we fail, and we will, 00:30:49.019 --> 00:30:57.140 we can celebrate the gospel of grace that renews and restores. We can cling to the truth that nothing 00:30:57.140 --> 00:31:06.000 separates us from the love of God that's in Christ Jesus. Let's make it our aim this year to be glory 00:31:06.000 --> 00:31:15.800 hunters, treasure seekers in the very best sense. Remember Jesus' words, where your treasure is, 00:31:16.759 --> 00:31:24.860 there your heart will be also. Let's find ourselves following hard after Jesus. Let's enjoy 00:31:24.859 --> 00:31:36.599 the gospel. Second resolution to suggest, resolve to explore the gospel. Again, if you're not yet a 00:31:36.599 --> 00:31:41.619 follower of Jesus, understand that this is the most important message you'll ever hear, the most 00:31:41.619 --> 00:31:48.979 important person you'll ever encounter, that each one of us personally needs to know God's King and the 00:31:48.980 --> 00:31:58.860 Savior for sinners. Resolve to read one of the gospels for yourselves. Take one of the copies of a gospel back there. 00:31:58.980 --> 00:32:11.279 Ask big questions. And as Christians, we can also be resolving to explore the gospel, to know more of its beauty, 00:32:11.380 --> 00:32:16.900 and to explore it with others. Because we know, don't we, so many people around us have got a wrong view of 00:32:16.900 --> 00:32:19.840 Christianity. So many people around us, so many people around us, so many people around us, so many people are blind to their 00:32:19.840 --> 00:32:26.500 eternal condition, so many are deaf to the claims of Christ, they are dead in their trespasses and sins. 00:32:29.060 --> 00:32:38.340 And God is pleased to use His people as a way for light to break in, for God's love to be communicated and felt. 00:32:38.440 --> 00:32:41.640 So let's pray for courage and love to share. 00:32:41.640 --> 00:32:49.000 When we run a Christianity Explored course, which we'll hope to do in the next month or so, 00:32:50.100 --> 00:32:57.280 be thinking and praying already, who can I invite to come and share Mark's gospel with us? 00:32:58.780 --> 00:33:03.420 Or even now, as we're about to, I guess for most of us, about to get back into the routines of school 00:33:03.420 --> 00:33:08.820 and work, think about your weekly routines. How can you make room, how can I make room to encourage 00:33:08.819 --> 00:33:12.740 someone else with some of the wonderful truths of the gospel? 00:33:13.899 --> 00:33:17.960 You know, when you discover something good for yourself, we instinctively, we want to share it. 00:33:19.039 --> 00:33:22.279 How can we make that true as we're exploring God's Word? 00:33:22.639 --> 00:33:26.599 Maybe we're thinking about with our children, or with our husband, or our wife, or with someone that we 00:33:26.599 --> 00:33:28.319 spend time with regularly. 00:33:28.319 --> 00:33:33.179 God is glorious. 00:33:34.679 --> 00:33:39.359 The gospel of saving grace is eternally glorious. 00:33:41.200 --> 00:33:45.299 So may this be a year for us of celebrating God's grace in the gospel, 00:33:46.899 --> 00:33:49.079 of getting to know this God better, 00:33:50.359 --> 00:33:54.519 and of holding out this wonderful treasure so that others can enjoy it with us. 00:33:54.519 --> 00:34:24.500 God bless you.