1 00:00:02,840 --> 00:00:05,680 You're listening to Key Life Fellowships pulpit ministry 2 00:00:05,680 --> 00:00:08,880 podcast. We thank you for tuning in as we 3 00:00:08,880 --> 00:00:12,280 learn from God's word together. If you would like more 4 00:00:12,280 --> 00:00:15,720 information regarding Key Life or to speak with one of our 5 00:00:15,720 --> 00:00:20,520 pastors, please visit us at Key Life Fellowship dot. 6 00:00:20,520 --> 00:00:26,040 Com Are you thankful for the blessed assurance that we do 7 00:00:26,040 --> 00:00:31,280 have in Christ Jesus? And in Christ Jesus alone you'll 8 00:00:31,280 --> 00:00:39,620 give him praise. You don't have to stop praising 9 00:00:39,620 --> 00:00:42,020 him just because we're going to begin to preach. 10 00:00:42,020 --> 00:00:45,020 Let our praise continue as we have praised Him in song. 11 00:00:46,180 --> 00:00:49,740 Now let us praise him as we look at his Word and as we dive off 12 00:00:49,740 --> 00:00:51,900 into the truths that the Scriptures contain. 13 00:00:53,060 --> 00:00:55,860 So if you've been here for any amount of time, your Bible 14 00:00:55,860 --> 00:01:00,060 probably this morning tried to open itself to the 119th Psalm. 15 00:01:01,720 --> 00:01:04,599 I'm going to get you to make a right, a hard right turn. 16 00:01:04,599 --> 00:01:06,800 I want you to turn into the New Testament this morning. 17 00:01:06,800 --> 00:01:09,320 I want you to turn to Galatians chapter 1. 18 00:01:12,600 --> 00:01:16,440 As you're turning there, I want to kind of give you a preface 19 00:01:16,440 --> 00:01:19,400 into what we are going to be looking at for the next several 20 00:01:19,400 --> 00:01:22,400 weeks and and our times together on Sunday morning. 21 00:01:24,200 --> 00:01:27,480 This series that we will we will be covering has been a series 22 00:01:27,480 --> 00:01:30,920 that has been on my heart for quite some time and and to which 23 00:01:30,920 --> 00:01:35,160 I think is very applicable to the current situation of our 24 00:01:35,160 --> 00:01:41,000 culture even now because we have as of late as you all know. 25 00:01:41,400 --> 00:01:44,240 Heard. Much talk about the gospel, 26 00:01:44,400 --> 00:01:49,000 about falling Christ, about being a Christian, about Jesus 27 00:01:49,000 --> 00:01:53,400 himself. However, we're living in a time 28 00:01:53,400 --> 00:02:00,040 where we have seen so many unbiblical variations of the 29 00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:04,240 gospel and of Jesus and of Christianity that many of us, 30 00:02:04,240 --> 00:02:08,919 I'm sure, not even sure, nor maybe we haven't even ever heard 31 00:02:10,160 --> 00:02:15,600 the true gospel at all. We will begin a study entitled 32 00:02:15,600 --> 00:02:19,520 There is one Gospel. There's not many Gospels, 33 00:02:19,520 --> 00:02:23,760 There's not different variations of the gospel, different tweaks 34 00:02:23,760 --> 00:02:26,400 of the gospel. There is one gospel and there's 35 00:02:26,400 --> 00:02:30,560 always been one gospel, and there always be will be 1 and 36 00:02:30,560 --> 00:02:36,320 one gospel only. So in a broad sense, when we 37 00:02:36,320 --> 00:02:41,000 talk about the gospel, I want you to understand this and the 38 00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:43,480 broad sense. We're talking about the gospel 39 00:02:43,480 --> 00:02:46,840 that encompasses the entirety of Scripture from Genesis all the 40 00:02:46,840 --> 00:02:54,280 way to Revelation, and how that gospel points us to Christ and 41 00:02:54,280 --> 00:02:56,480 points us to our great need for Christ. 42 00:02:56,480 --> 00:03:00,640 We see that in the beginning of the Bible all the way until the 43 00:03:00,640 --> 00:03:06,400 end, and it is here in the Bible as a whole that God is revealing 44 00:03:06,840 --> 00:03:10,280 himself to us, and he's revealing Christ to us. 45 00:03:11,200 --> 00:03:14,960 He begins with revealing himself as Creator there in Genesis. 46 00:03:16,800 --> 00:03:20,280 He then shows us shortly after that the the record of man's 47 00:03:20,280 --> 00:03:24,320 rebellion where our first father Adam fell into sin and rebelled 48 00:03:24,320 --> 00:03:27,880 against the holy God. And then we can follow Scripture 49 00:03:27,880 --> 00:03:31,240 as we walk through that fall of sin to a great flood that we 50 00:03:31,240 --> 00:03:38,000 know Scripture confirms occurred because God cannot and will not 51 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:42,640 tolerate sin. We see also in the entirety of 52 00:03:42,640 --> 00:03:46,680 Scripture that it reveals for us God's holy standard. 53 00:03:46,680 --> 00:03:51,200 In fact, the whole reason that God instituted the law was to 54 00:03:51,200 --> 00:03:55,600 show His perfection and to show man's inability to meet the 55 00:03:55,600 --> 00:03:58,880 standard of His perfection. And so in the law, in the Old 56 00:03:58,880 --> 00:04:02,320 Testament, we see that we have record of that. 57 00:04:04,640 --> 00:04:08,720 It is in that holy standard that we come to the recognition and 58 00:04:08,720 --> 00:04:11,800 the realization of our rightful place, and that is totally 59 00:04:12,480 --> 00:04:17,640 sinful, depraved and able to come to God in our own strength. 60 00:04:17,640 --> 00:04:20,600 In fact, Scripture says we're cut off and we're alienated from 61 00:04:20,600 --> 00:04:24,800 God because of our sin. We've missed the mark. 62 00:04:25,840 --> 00:04:28,720 We don't meet the standard. And then we see in Scripture the 63 00:04:28,720 --> 00:04:31,440 prophecies concerning the Redeemer who is to come. 64 00:04:32,120 --> 00:04:35,920 All of the prophets Speaking of the Messiah who was to come. 65 00:04:35,920 --> 00:04:38,480 We know now in our day. That that was pointing to 66 00:04:38,480 --> 00:04:41,320 Christ. Son of the living God who came 67 00:04:41,320 --> 00:04:46,200 to this earth as God Incarnate. And it is in the person of Jesus 68 00:04:46,200 --> 00:04:51,800 that we see the God man living a perfect life and then laying 69 00:04:51,800 --> 00:04:55,640 down that perfect life in the place of imperfect depraved 70 00:04:55,640 --> 00:04:59,200 sinners, that they might be reconciled to a holy and to a 71 00:04:59,200 --> 00:05:03,600 righteous God. We see Jesus fulfill all that 72 00:05:03,600 --> 00:05:09,120 the prophets spoke about him. You see a sinless life. 73 00:05:10,800 --> 00:05:13,800 We see His substitutionary atonement. 74 00:05:14,640 --> 00:05:19,960 We see His mercy and His grace offered to sinners, His unending 75 00:05:19,960 --> 00:05:25,600 and undying love offered up for those who had not ever loved 76 00:05:25,600 --> 00:05:28,200 Him. We see His death, We see His 77 00:05:28,200 --> 00:05:31,880 burial, We see His resurrection. We then see His ascension, where 78 00:05:31,880 --> 00:05:34,880 He ascends back to the Father from which He had come. 79 00:05:37,400 --> 00:05:41,200 We see His promises that one day, just as He was taken away 80 00:05:41,200 --> 00:05:45,200 from this earth, He will return to this earth, and He will 81 00:05:45,200 --> 00:05:48,760 rescue the bride that He has purchased by His own sacrifice 82 00:05:48,760 --> 00:05:53,840 for the glory of God. That is a broad sense of the 83 00:05:53,840 --> 00:05:56,120 gospel and the entirety of Scripture. 84 00:05:59,600 --> 00:06:02,120 But then we see a more narrow sense. 85 00:06:03,400 --> 00:06:06,280 We see the narrow sense is that the gospel is the message of 86 00:06:06,280 --> 00:06:08,840 good news. That Greek word you in galleon 87 00:06:08,840 --> 00:06:11,080 means good tidings, a good message. 88 00:06:12,440 --> 00:06:15,000 That is the good news and the good message that Christ did 89 00:06:15,000 --> 00:06:19,360 truly come to this earth and He did come to rescue sinners and 90 00:06:19,360 --> 00:06:23,080 to redeem all of the fallen sinners who will believe and 91 00:06:23,080 --> 00:06:26,160 trust in Him as Lord and as Savior. 92 00:06:26,600 --> 00:06:28,840 Those who were once alienated from God. 93 00:06:31,520 --> 00:06:36,880 Yet Christ came to fulfill the purpose of God the Father in 94 00:06:36,880 --> 00:06:43,200 rescuing some from the multitudes call His own. 95 00:06:43,600 --> 00:06:47,880 Those who would by faith believe and trust in the sacrifice of 96 00:06:47,960 --> 00:06:50,760 Jesus Christ as the only justification for their sin. 97 00:06:50,760 --> 00:06:54,880 And is that same Jesus who rescues sinners, who will 98 00:06:56,200 --> 00:07:00,840 ultimately judge the unrepentant sinners? 99 00:07:02,160 --> 00:07:04,640 Oh, we know that he came to save the repentant, believing 100 00:07:04,640 --> 00:07:06,360 sinners. But in the gospel we must 101 00:07:06,360 --> 00:07:09,320 understand in the narrow sense, yes, the same Jesus will judge 102 00:07:09,320 --> 00:07:12,080 the unrepentant and the unbelieving Sinner. 103 00:07:13,520 --> 00:07:17,280 They will bear the wrath of God for their sin in hell for all 104 00:07:17,680 --> 00:07:20,920 eternity. So we see in a narrow sense that 105 00:07:20,920 --> 00:07:23,400 is the gospel, and in the broad sense it is Genesis to 106 00:07:23,400 --> 00:07:28,680 Revelation. And we will be discussing this 107 00:07:28,680 --> 00:07:33,200 gospel in great detail in the days and the weeks to come. 108 00:07:35,040 --> 00:07:38,040 It's crucial that we get it right. 109 00:07:39,480 --> 00:07:42,080 It's. Crucial that we know the true 110 00:07:42,160 --> 00:07:46,440 gospel according to the Scriptures, especially when we 111 00:07:46,440 --> 00:07:50,080 live in a time where many, if not most are getting it wrong. 112 00:07:53,960 --> 00:07:57,160 I pray that we get it right, and if we're going to get it right, 113 00:07:57,160 --> 00:07:59,560 we are going to have to get it from the Scriptures themselves. 114 00:08:00,800 --> 00:08:04,200 Because I believe many a man and many a woman will spend an 115 00:08:04,200 --> 00:08:10,840 eternity in hell thinking that they believed the gospel, only 116 00:08:10,840 --> 00:08:14,520 to find out that the gospel that they believed was not the gospel 117 00:08:14,640 --> 00:08:17,480 at all. It was what Paul is going to 118 00:08:17,480 --> 00:08:20,560 talk about this morning in Galatians, another gospel, and 119 00:08:20,560 --> 00:08:22,640 he quickly says which is not the gospel. 120 00:08:23,720 --> 00:08:27,840 They believe in some pseudo gospel, some false gospel, some 121 00:08:27,840 --> 00:08:33,600 watered down fake gospel thinking that it's somehow going 122 00:08:33,600 --> 00:08:36,080 to lead them to. Forgiveness of sin and eternal 123 00:08:36,080 --> 00:08:38,760 life. So it's crucial that we get the 124 00:08:38,760 --> 00:08:47,280 gospel because if we get the gospel wrong, we spend an 125 00:08:47,280 --> 00:08:50,040 eternity separated from the goodness and love of God only to 126 00:08:50,040 --> 00:08:55,200 face his wrath and his judgment. And so today as we open the word 127 00:08:55,200 --> 00:08:59,120 of God, we begin here in Galatians chapter one with a 128 00:08:59,120 --> 00:09:02,440 message entitled what the gospel is not. 129 00:09:04,520 --> 00:09:07,040 I pray that in looking at what the gospel is not, we will 130 00:09:07,040 --> 00:09:12,840 clearly see what the gospel is. So if you will turn with me 131 00:09:12,840 --> 00:09:20,400 there to Galatians chapter one verse 6 Paul writing the Church 132 00:09:20,400 --> 00:09:21,680 of Galatia. He says this. 133 00:09:21,760 --> 00:09:25,840 I am astonished in verse 6 that you are so quickly deserting the 134 00:09:25,840 --> 00:09:29,840 one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a 135 00:09:29,840 --> 00:09:33,800 different gospel which is really no gospel at all. 136 00:09:34,720 --> 00:09:38,280 Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and 137 00:09:38,280 --> 00:09:41,080 are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. 138 00:09:41,960 --> 00:09:46,680 But even if we or an Angel from heaven should preach a gospel 139 00:09:46,680 --> 00:09:52,920 other than the one we preach to you, let them be eternally 140 00:09:53,240 --> 00:09:56,040 condemned, as we have already said. 141 00:09:56,040 --> 00:10:00,800 So now I say again, if anybody is preaching to you a gospel 142 00:10:00,800 --> 00:10:06,960 other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned. 143 00:10:08,000 --> 00:10:11,040 Verse 10, he says, Am I now trying to win the approval of 144 00:10:11,040 --> 00:10:15,680 men or of God, or am I trying to please men? 145 00:10:16,280 --> 00:10:22,200 If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of 146 00:10:22,200 --> 00:10:23,800 Christ. Let's pray together. 147 00:10:23,800 --> 00:10:26,000 Father, in the name of Jesus, we come to you, thanking you for 148 00:10:26,000 --> 00:10:29,680 your word, thanking You for the truths that we are going to see 149 00:10:29,680 --> 00:10:34,880 concerning what the gospel is not this morning in a time where 150 00:10:34,880 --> 00:10:42,640 many are confused with every variation, every altering of 151 00:10:42,640 --> 00:10:47,080 what is being called the gospel. God, I pray today that you give 152 00:10:47,080 --> 00:10:53,400 us clarity in your word to the true gospel so that we not 153 00:10:53,400 --> 00:10:59,720 believe a false message, so that we not believe and we not preach 154 00:10:59,720 --> 00:11:03,320 a message that will bring condemnation upon those who 155 00:11:03,320 --> 00:11:07,480 follow this false gospel. That we will through the true 156 00:11:07,480 --> 00:11:16,520 gospel watch you bring darkness out of darkness into marvelous 157 00:11:16,520 --> 00:11:21,920 light as you save souls according to your word, you save 158 00:11:21,920 --> 00:11:25,320 souls according to your power so that you can receive all the 159 00:11:25,320 --> 00:11:29,120 glory and praise for it in Jesus name, Amen. 160 00:11:30,800 --> 00:11:34,600 So today as we open to Galatians chapter one, we are going to 161 00:11:34,600 --> 00:11:40,240 learn what the gospel is not. I have found in my life that 162 00:11:41,360 --> 00:11:46,800 sometimes in order to learn the authenticity of something, I 163 00:11:46,800 --> 00:11:52,200 have to learn what it is not first, especially when they're 164 00:11:52,200 --> 00:11:57,120 differing ideas about the topic. And we know that there are 165 00:11:57,120 --> 00:11:59,800 differing ideas about the gospel. 166 00:11:59,800 --> 00:12:02,640 They are running rampant in our culture. 167 00:12:03,760 --> 00:12:08,560 So Paul begins with this. And so I will begin with this so 168 00:12:08,560 --> 00:12:12,560 that we understand clearly, first of all, the gospel is not 169 00:12:12,920 --> 00:12:18,520 earned by our works. Verses 6 in the first part of 170 00:12:18,520 --> 00:12:22,120 seven say this. I am astonished that you are so 171 00:12:22,120 --> 00:12:26,040 quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of 172 00:12:26,040 --> 00:12:30,200 Christ and are turning to a different gospel. 173 00:12:30,840 --> 00:12:33,720 Which is really no gospel at all. 174 00:12:33,720 --> 00:12:36,040 Let me give you a little backdrop. 175 00:12:36,040 --> 00:12:40,240 Someone, or perhaps a group of people, we're here among the 176 00:12:40,240 --> 00:12:43,760 Galatians, and they were teaching works of righteousness 177 00:12:43,760 --> 00:12:47,920 according to the law to seal their justification, namely 178 00:12:47,920 --> 00:12:50,480 circumcision. And so if you'll follow me into 179 00:12:50,480 --> 00:12:52,880 this, I want you to understand what was going on. 180 00:12:54,120 --> 00:12:57,160 Paul and the apostles were preaching a gospel that is grace 181 00:12:57,160 --> 00:12:59,400 alone through faith alone in Christ alone. 182 00:13:00,080 --> 00:13:02,440 And then there were those who had entered into the church 183 00:13:02,440 --> 00:13:05,360 there, a Galatian. They were introducing heresy, 184 00:13:06,440 --> 00:13:10,280 and that heresy was saying this, yeah, you need to have faith in 185 00:13:10,400 --> 00:13:15,360 Jesus Christ, but also alongside of faith in Jesus Christ, you 186 00:13:15,360 --> 00:13:21,400 also need to be circumcised, which is a work of the flesh, 187 00:13:21,840 --> 00:13:25,120 which counts for nothing in regard to salvation. 188 00:13:25,120 --> 00:13:28,640 That is by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone. 189 00:13:29,960 --> 00:13:33,640 And so many of them had been LED down this road of legalistic 190 00:13:34,000 --> 00:13:39,960 teaching, claiming that in order for us to be saved, we must have 191 00:13:39,960 --> 00:13:43,840 faith in Christ and be circumcised. 192 00:13:44,120 --> 00:13:50,160 However, faith in Jesus Christ plus anything, please hear me. 193 00:13:50,160 --> 00:13:53,840 Church is legalism. If you think that you have to 194 00:13:53,840 --> 00:13:57,520 have faith in Christ plus baptism, a work that men do, 195 00:13:58,040 --> 00:14:01,360 faith in Christ plus church membership, a work that men do, 196 00:14:01,520 --> 00:14:06,240 faith in Christ, plus anything else under the sun that a person 197 00:14:06,240 --> 00:14:11,200 could do, you're sadly mistaken. And the Galatians have fallen 198 00:14:11,200 --> 00:14:13,960 into this trap. They had fallen in and were 199 00:14:13,960 --> 00:14:18,400 potentially falling deeper into a trap that said it is Jesus 200 00:14:18,560 --> 00:14:21,800 plus works and, and I'll go ahead and boldly declare this. 201 00:14:21,800 --> 00:14:25,320 That is heretical. That's not the gospel. 202 00:14:25,720 --> 00:14:29,080 So Paul makes it clear in this letter, in fact in his entire 203 00:14:29,080 --> 00:14:33,200 ministry, that a person is justified by grace alone through 204 00:14:33,200 --> 00:14:36,160 faith alone and Christ alone and not by his works. 205 00:14:36,160 --> 00:14:37,840 Period. End of discussion. 206 00:14:39,200 --> 00:14:42,680 Person's good good works are never credited to them as 207 00:14:42,680 --> 00:14:45,720 salvation. That is not the gospel. 208 00:14:45,840 --> 00:14:47,680 Now I know many of you. You have been around here long 209 00:14:47,680 --> 00:14:50,920 enough to know that we don't preach justification by. 210 00:14:50,920 --> 00:14:53,040 Works we preach justification by faith. 211 00:14:53,240 --> 00:14:56,120 So many of you would say, well, Kirk, we already know this and I 212 00:14:56,120 --> 00:15:02,920 hope you do. But I go to many funerals, and 213 00:15:02,920 --> 00:15:06,200 in those funerals, do you know what they talk about at 214 00:15:06,200 --> 00:15:10,160 funerals? They talk about how good a 215 00:15:10,160 --> 00:15:16,120 person was or how good a person is or what good that person did 216 00:15:16,200 --> 00:15:20,640 while they were on this earth, as if somehow that person is 217 00:15:20,640 --> 00:15:26,840 justified by the good they do or don't do in the eyes of God. 218 00:15:28,080 --> 00:15:33,800 Paul is going to make it very clear here that it is dangerous 219 00:15:33,800 --> 00:15:37,160 when we turn away from grace alone and when we pick up works 220 00:15:37,160 --> 00:15:41,280 of the flesh trying to be justified by those things. 221 00:15:41,720 --> 00:15:43,560 Why is this dangerous? Write it down. 222 00:15:43,800 --> 00:15:48,040 Our works are insufficient in satisfying a holy God. 223 00:15:50,000 --> 00:15:53,720 You will not, cannot. It is impossible for you and 224 00:15:53,720 --> 00:15:57,760 your own works to satisfy a holy God. 225 00:15:58,720 --> 00:16:03,040 Let me help everyone out. Even if you're patriotic, even 226 00:16:03,040 --> 00:16:06,760 if you're hard working, even if you're Southern, and even if 227 00:16:06,760 --> 00:16:14,080 you're a good old boy, you still fall short of God's perfection. 228 00:16:14,720 --> 00:16:17,600 You in and of yourself. You are sinful and you are 229 00:16:17,600 --> 00:16:22,400 rotten to the core. I don't say that to belittle 230 00:16:22,400 --> 00:16:25,440 you. I am agreeing that that is 231 00:16:25,440 --> 00:16:29,160 exactly what I am, apart from the righteousness of Jesus 232 00:16:29,160 --> 00:16:32,640 Christ that comes by faith in Him and that alone. 233 00:16:34,600 --> 00:16:37,000 But I want you to have a clear understanding that there are 234 00:16:37,000 --> 00:16:42,880 many people who preach a message that says that you earn 235 00:16:42,880 --> 00:16:46,640 salvation not just by faith in Christ alone through the grace 236 00:16:46,640 --> 00:16:51,240 of God, but that you also have to do something in order to 237 00:16:51,240 --> 00:16:54,880 receive that. Can I tell you this, that His 238 00:16:54,880 --> 00:16:58,440 standard has not changed? That's how I know I don't meet 239 00:16:58,440 --> 00:16:59,920 His standard. That's how I know you don't meet 240 00:16:59,920 --> 00:17:02,960 His standard because you know what His standard is. 241 00:17:02,960 --> 00:17:05,839 Jesus clearly defines that force in Matthew chapter 5 verse 48, 242 00:17:05,839 --> 00:17:08,480 He says this, be perfect. Therefore, as your heavenly 243 00:17:08,480 --> 00:17:12,160 Father is perfect. Jesus was telling them something 244 00:17:12,160 --> 00:17:15,000 that they could not do be perfect. 245 00:17:15,520 --> 00:17:17,839 But in telling them that they could not be perfect, He 246 00:17:17,839 --> 00:17:21,160 revealed also something to them. Their heavenly Father is 247 00:17:21,160 --> 00:17:23,599 perfect. And he has not changed his 248 00:17:23,599 --> 00:17:25,800 standard. He has not altered who he is. 249 00:17:26,839 --> 00:17:30,280 He's still perfect. And so his standard is still 250 00:17:30,360 --> 00:17:32,960 perfection. That doesn't take long to spend 251 00:17:33,000 --> 00:17:36,080 any time with any of us. But I'll say this, it won't take 252 00:17:36,080 --> 00:17:39,720 you long to spend time with me to find out that I am imperfect. 253 00:17:41,160 --> 00:17:43,320 He said, well, we don't have a lot of time to spend with you. 254 00:17:43,320 --> 00:17:45,640 Pastor, do you have someone who you could call to account? 255 00:17:45,640 --> 00:17:48,320 Ask my wife if I'm perfect, she will tell you absolutely not. 256 00:17:49,600 --> 00:17:52,000 Ask my children, they will say absolutely not. 257 00:17:53,760 --> 00:17:57,280 He's very imperfect, but he trusts in a perfect God. 258 00:17:58,720 --> 00:18:04,560 We will miss the mark in regard to our own perfection. 259 00:18:05,720 --> 00:18:08,200 Therefore, we can never be justified by a holy God. 260 00:18:08,200 --> 00:18:13,400 We can never be declared righteous because even our 261 00:18:13,400 --> 00:18:19,240 thought goodness is still tainted by sin, by wickedness. 262 00:18:20,560 --> 00:18:23,240 In fact, Romans chapter 3 Paul gives a discourse on this. 263 00:18:23,240 --> 00:18:25,800 I don't want you to miss it. He says in verse 10 of Romans 264 00:18:25,800 --> 00:18:29,000 chapter 3. He says as it is written, 265 00:18:29,000 --> 00:18:30,640 there's no one right. It's just not even one. 266 00:18:30,640 --> 00:18:32,520 He's Speaking of both the Jew and the Gentile. 267 00:18:32,520 --> 00:18:35,280 There is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. 268 00:18:35,400 --> 00:18:37,200 All have turned away. They have together become 269 00:18:37,200 --> 00:18:39,360 worthless. There is no one who does good, 270 00:18:39,480 --> 00:18:44,960 not even 1. Their throats are open graves. 271 00:18:45,760 --> 00:18:48,040 Their tongues practice the seat. The poison of the Vipers is on 272 00:18:48,040 --> 00:18:50,000 their lips. Their mouths are full of cursing 273 00:18:50,000 --> 00:18:52,280 and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed 274 00:18:52,280 --> 00:18:55,080 blood. Ruin and misery mark their ways 275 00:18:55,240 --> 00:18:57,160 and the way of peace they do not know. 276 00:18:57,160 --> 00:19:00,520 He said, I don't want to spend any time with that kind of 277 00:19:00,520 --> 00:19:02,240 person. You are that kind of person. 278 00:19:03,840 --> 00:19:08,120 That's who we all are apart from Jesus Christ, He says. 279 00:19:08,120 --> 00:19:09,200 Their feet are swift to shed blood. 280 00:19:09,200 --> 00:19:11,080 The ruin and misery mark their ways and the way of peace. 281 00:19:11,080 --> 00:19:13,200 They do not know. There is No Fear of God before 282 00:19:13,200 --> 00:19:16,400 their eyes. Now we know that whatever the 283 00:19:16,400 --> 00:19:19,280 law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every 284 00:19:19,280 --> 00:19:21,840 mouth may be silenced in the whole world, held accountable to 285 00:19:21,840 --> 00:19:23,240 God. Why are we held accountable to 286 00:19:23,240 --> 00:19:25,040 God? Because if we lay our life next 287 00:19:25,040 --> 00:19:29,720 next to God's perfect law, we realize very quickly that we're 288 00:19:29,720 --> 00:19:31,040 transgressors of this law, right? 289 00:19:31,040 --> 00:19:32,920 You don't even have to know all 10 of the commandments. 290 00:19:32,920 --> 00:19:34,800 If you know three of them, you've probably broken two of 291 00:19:34,800 --> 00:19:38,920 them. And if you've only broken one of 292 00:19:38,920 --> 00:19:40,200 the three that you have. Memorized. 293 00:19:40,200 --> 00:19:42,760 Guess what? You're a transgressor and you're 294 00:19:42,760 --> 00:19:46,440 saying guilty in the face of God as a Sinner. 295 00:19:47,600 --> 00:19:49,520 So you, you should be silenced by that. 296 00:19:49,520 --> 00:19:52,640 You have nothing else to say. So he says in verse 20. 297 00:19:52,640 --> 00:19:55,200 Thankfully, therefore, no one will be declared. 298 00:19:55,200 --> 00:19:57,280 Righteous in his sight by observing the law. 299 00:19:57,280 --> 00:19:58,760 Thank you. Because I have failed. 300 00:20:00,120 --> 00:20:02,160 Not only have I broken one of the commands and two of the 301 00:20:02,160 --> 00:20:03,760 commands and three of the commands and four of the 302 00:20:03,760 --> 00:20:05,000 commands and five of the commands. 303 00:20:05,000 --> 00:20:06,920 I've broken all of his commands, you say? 304 00:20:06,920 --> 00:20:09,320 Well, Pastor, yeah. Because if I've broken one of 305 00:20:09,320 --> 00:20:13,120 them, I have broken all of them. I have transgressed against God. 306 00:20:13,960 --> 00:20:16,640 And so have all of you. He says, therefore no one will 307 00:20:16,640 --> 00:20:18,560 be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law. 308 00:20:18,560 --> 00:20:20,480 Rather through the law we become conscious of sin. 309 00:20:20,480 --> 00:20:22,360 What is he saying? God shows us his perfect 310 00:20:22,360 --> 00:20:25,320 standard, and he says, here's my perfect standard. 311 00:20:26,720 --> 00:20:29,320 And he gives us the 10 commandments, and he says live 312 00:20:29,320 --> 00:20:36,360 by it. But in and of ourselves we have 313 00:20:36,360 --> 00:20:39,240 no sufficiency to live by that. And so we. 314 00:20:39,240 --> 00:20:41,880 Find ourselves in a predicament, don't we? 315 00:20:42,480 --> 00:20:44,920 Because everything that we tried to do good is tainted by our 316 00:20:44,920 --> 00:20:46,440 sins. Is that not what Isaiah says in 317 00:20:46,440 --> 00:20:48,800 Isaiah 64? Six, when he says all of us have 318 00:20:48,800 --> 00:20:52,200 become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are 319 00:20:52,200 --> 00:20:54,680 like filthy rags. We all shrivel up like a leaf, 320 00:20:54,800 --> 00:20:56,680 and like the wind, our sins sweep us away. 321 00:20:56,880 --> 00:20:59,600 Look what Isaiah says there. He says, Your best day, filthy 322 00:20:59,600 --> 00:21:04,240 rags, your best efforts don't meet God's standard. 323 00:21:05,280 --> 00:21:11,960 Your best good deeds fall short. So we have to understand that 324 00:21:11,960 --> 00:21:15,600 the gospel is not earned by our works because our works are 325 00:21:15,600 --> 00:21:21,160 insufficient for satisfying a holy, perfect, righteous God. 326 00:21:21,680 --> 00:21:24,720 In fact, Galatians chapter 3 verse 10 says all who rely on 327 00:21:24,720 --> 00:21:27,000 observing the law are under a curse, for it is written cursed. 328 00:21:27,000 --> 00:21:29,400 It is everyone who does not continue to do everything 329 00:21:30,280 --> 00:21:34,240 written in the book of the Law. There are some of us who think 330 00:21:34,240 --> 00:21:35,640 by our works we can be justified. 331 00:21:35,640 --> 00:21:37,400 Now I have to ask you this, have you ever failed? 332 00:21:37,400 --> 00:21:41,920 Well, if you failed, you're in trouble because you're cursed 333 00:21:41,920 --> 00:21:43,920 and. Isn't that what we all really 334 00:21:43,920 --> 00:21:45,920 are Until Christ relieves that curse from us? 335 00:21:45,920 --> 00:21:49,120 We're cursed because of sin. We inherited that curse all the 336 00:21:49,120 --> 00:21:51,000 way from Adam. That's why I told you. 337 00:21:51,000 --> 00:21:53,360 In the broader sense, we can go from Genesis to Revelation and 338 00:21:53,360 --> 00:21:56,960 we see there in the Gospel. But in a narrower sense, we can 339 00:21:56,960 --> 00:21:58,640 look at it in our lives and we know this. 340 00:22:00,120 --> 00:22:03,560 If there is no innate good in US apart from Christ, there's no 341 00:22:03,560 --> 00:22:07,280 good in us at all. Our works are insufficient and 342 00:22:07,280 --> 00:22:09,960 satisfying a holy God. Secondly, our works are 343 00:22:09,960 --> 00:22:12,560 incapable of saving a depraved Sinner. 344 00:22:16,800 --> 00:22:21,280 If our works can't satisfy God's standard and be sufficient 345 00:22:21,400 --> 00:22:27,120 enough because they are so sinfully tainted, then common 346 00:22:27,120 --> 00:22:31,600 sense tells me this. That they can't be useful in 347 00:22:31,600 --> 00:22:34,880 saving me from the wrath that I deserve. 348 00:22:35,280 --> 00:22:37,200 Because many people will say, yeah, Kirk, I understand that 349 00:22:37,200 --> 00:22:41,160 we're all imperfect, but I'm trying my best and I'm doing 350 00:22:41,160 --> 00:22:42,800 some good. I'm, I'm doing more good than I 351 00:22:42,800 --> 00:22:47,800 used to, somehow thinking that because you're doing more good 352 00:22:47,800 --> 00:22:51,160 that you you than you used to in your own power, that your works 353 00:22:51,160 --> 00:22:56,840 are going to somehow save you. And you're dreadfully wrong. 354 00:22:58,920 --> 00:23:00,640 And I don't tell you that so that I can be right. 355 00:23:00,640 --> 00:23:04,120 I tell you that so that you can know the truth because I do care 356 00:23:04,120 --> 00:23:08,000 about your soul, that you're not going to get to God because 357 00:23:08,000 --> 00:23:10,800 you've been a pretty good old boy or a pretty good old gal 358 00:23:11,960 --> 00:23:13,840 done the right thing most of the time. 359 00:23:13,840 --> 00:23:15,960 Because there's been those times where you didn't do the right 360 00:23:15,960 --> 00:23:19,880 thing, proving that you're a transgressor and you're in need 361 00:23:19,880 --> 00:23:21,920 of a righteousness that is greater than your own 362 00:23:22,040 --> 00:23:26,640 righteousness there. And we see the truth of the 363 00:23:26,640 --> 00:23:29,520 gospel. Romans chapter 3 he says in 364 00:23:29,520 --> 00:23:31,880 verse 21, but now a righteousness from God apart 365 00:23:31,880 --> 00:23:35,120 from the law, your works has been made known to which the law 366 00:23:35,120 --> 00:23:38,440 and the prophets testify. He says this righteousness from 367 00:23:38,440 --> 00:23:42,160 God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe there 368 00:23:42,160 --> 00:23:43,640 is no difference. He says there's no difference 369 00:23:43,640 --> 00:23:46,400 between the Jew and the Gentile, all who by faith trust in Jesus 370 00:23:46,400 --> 00:23:49,520 Christ. They are accredited and imputed 371 00:23:49,600 --> 00:23:51,920 with the righteousness of Christ, the righteousness that 372 00:23:51,920 --> 00:23:54,200 comes from God, he says in verse 23 for. 373 00:23:54,200 --> 00:23:56,400 All of sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are 374 00:23:56,400 --> 00:23:59,080 justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came 375 00:23:59,200 --> 00:24:02,200 by Christ Jesus. God presented him a sacrifice of 376 00:24:02,200 --> 00:24:04,400 atonement through faith in His blood, and He did this to 377 00:24:04,400 --> 00:24:07,480 demonstrate His justice, because in his forbearance he had left 378 00:24:07,480 --> 00:24:09,600 the sins committed beforehand unpunished. 379 00:24:10,400 --> 00:24:12,360 He did it to demonstrate His justice at the present. 380 00:24:12,360 --> 00:24:15,800 Time so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have 381 00:24:15,960 --> 00:24:18,280 faith in Jesus. What is he saying? 382 00:24:18,440 --> 00:24:22,800 God would have to cease to be just if you could somehow save 383 00:24:22,800 --> 00:24:26,960 yourself by your own works. But he remains just. 384 00:24:27,160 --> 00:24:29,960 But he is also a justifier, and he justifies by grace alone, 385 00:24:29,960 --> 00:24:31,280 through faith alone in Christ alone. 386 00:24:31,360 --> 00:24:32,680 He says. Where then is boasting? 387 00:24:33,240 --> 00:24:36,360 He says it's excluded. We have nothing to boast about. 388 00:24:36,960 --> 00:24:38,840 Have you ever met those people who profess to be Christians? 389 00:24:38,840 --> 00:24:40,800 And all they do is boast about the good that they do. 390 00:24:43,200 --> 00:24:45,600 If someone gets up at my funeral one day and starts talking about 391 00:24:45,600 --> 00:24:48,960 all the good that I did, tell them to stop and talk about 392 00:24:48,960 --> 00:24:52,160 Christ, because the only good in me is Christ. 393 00:24:52,680 --> 00:24:55,280 If you saw good in me, please don't give me credit for it. 394 00:24:55,280 --> 00:24:56,560 I'm not. Good. 395 00:24:57,640 --> 00:24:59,920 Christ is good. He's aware that his boasting 396 00:24:59,920 --> 00:25:01,120 it's excluded. On what principle? 397 00:25:01,120 --> 00:25:03,280 On that of of observing the law, No. 398 00:25:03,480 --> 00:25:07,480 But on that of faith we for we maintain that a man is justified 399 00:25:07,480 --> 00:25:09,720 by faith apart from observing the law. 400 00:25:10,120 --> 00:25:13,680 What is he saying there? He's saying your works are 401 00:25:13,680 --> 00:25:18,600 incapable of saving you. I grieve for those who have 402 00:25:18,600 --> 00:25:22,080 bought into this gospel that they sell so often in America, 403 00:25:22,080 --> 00:25:27,440 that if you just do enough good, it will somehow outweigh the 404 00:25:27,440 --> 00:25:33,240 bad. You cannot do enough good 405 00:25:33,440 --> 00:25:38,520 because good does not live in you, in and of yourself. 406 00:25:39,160 --> 00:25:41,920 Our works are incapable of saving us. 407 00:25:42,240 --> 00:25:44,560 Romans 5 verse 19. Paul says this. 408 00:25:44,560 --> 00:25:47,560 For just as through the disobedience of the one man, 409 00:25:47,560 --> 00:25:50,320 talking about Adam, the many were made sinners, so also 410 00:25:50,320 --> 00:25:52,760 through the obedience of the one man, the many will be made 411 00:25:52,760 --> 00:25:54,280 righteous. This is the only way for you to 412 00:25:54,280 --> 00:25:56,240 be made righteous. It is through the obedience of 413 00:25:56,240 --> 00:25:59,920 Christ, not your own obedience, your own words. 414 00:25:59,920 --> 00:26:02,800 It is the work of Christ that justifies us, and faith in that 415 00:26:02,800 --> 00:26:06,320 alone. And so our works are incapable 416 00:26:06,320 --> 00:26:08,880 of saving us because we're depraved sinners. 417 00:26:09,880 --> 00:26:16,000 Only God can save sinners, and He does this apart from any work 418 00:26:16,040 --> 00:26:20,480 that you do. He does this through the work of 419 00:26:20,560 --> 00:26:24,240 Jesus Christ, through his atoning work and that alone. 420 00:26:24,840 --> 00:26:26,760 Titus chapter 3 verse 5, it says this. 421 00:26:26,760 --> 00:26:29,600 He saved us not because of righteous things we had done, 422 00:26:29,840 --> 00:26:31,840 but because of his mercy. He saved us through the. 423 00:26:31,840 --> 00:26:34,560 Washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. 424 00:26:34,840 --> 00:26:37,120 He saved us not because of anything that we could do. 425 00:26:37,120 --> 00:26:42,880 Why we're not righteous? But he's righteous and his work 426 00:26:43,600 --> 00:26:48,520 is able to save the unrighteous. Galatians chapter 2, verse 16. 427 00:26:49,080 --> 00:26:51,640 He says this know that a man is not justified by observing the 428 00:26:51,640 --> 00:26:53,960 law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. 429 00:26:54,240 --> 00:26:57,200 So we too have put our faith in Christ Jesus, that we may be 430 00:26:57,200 --> 00:26:59,960 justified by faith in Christ Jesus and not by observing the 431 00:26:59,960 --> 00:27:04,200 law, because by observing the law no one will be justified. 432 00:27:04,960 --> 00:27:08,120 He takes it a step further. Down in 21 of that same 2nd 433 00:27:08,120 --> 00:27:09,400 chapter in Galatians he says this. 434 00:27:09,400 --> 00:27:12,800 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could 435 00:27:12,800 --> 00:27:15,960 be gained through the law, your own works, if you could be saved 436 00:27:15,960 --> 00:27:17,440 by your own works, Watch what he says. 437 00:27:17,640 --> 00:27:23,040 Christ died for nothing. We have to be very careful in a 438 00:27:23,040 --> 00:27:26,520 culture that is constantly preaching and teaching works 439 00:27:26,520 --> 00:27:31,400 salvation. Your works cannot save you. 440 00:27:31,400 --> 00:27:35,720 Your works are wicked in and of themselves, and if you think 441 00:27:35,720 --> 00:27:39,080 your works can save you, you have set aside to the grace of 442 00:27:39,080 --> 00:27:40,640 God. Paul says, I'm not going to do 443 00:27:40,640 --> 00:27:46,200 that because it is the grace of God that saves me and allows me 444 00:27:46,200 --> 00:27:49,200 to gain to that righteousness from God that comes apart from 445 00:27:49,200 --> 00:27:50,320 the law. It is by grace. 446 00:27:50,400 --> 00:27:52,840 That's what he's saying to the to the Galatians here. 447 00:27:52,880 --> 00:27:55,560 I'm astonished that you were so quickly deserting the one who 448 00:27:55,560 --> 00:27:58,840 called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a 449 00:27:58,840 --> 00:28:01,720 different gospel, he says. Which is really no gospel at 450 00:28:01,720 --> 00:28:05,560 all. Your words won't save you. 451 00:28:08,960 --> 00:28:14,880 In fact, they can't save you because Ephesians chapter 2 452 00:28:15,920 --> 00:28:18,280 makes it very clear if you, if you would just turn over one 453 00:28:18,280 --> 00:28:21,160 book in your Bible there to Ephesians in the second chapter 454 00:28:24,400 --> 00:28:27,840 and it says this. It says As for you, you were 455 00:28:27,840 --> 00:28:30,480 dead in your transgressions and sins in which you used to live 456 00:28:30,480 --> 00:28:32,600 when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of 457 00:28:32,600 --> 00:28:35,240 the Kingdom of the air. He said you're spiritually dead 458 00:28:35,240 --> 00:28:37,480 in your sin and you're following Satan. 459 00:28:38,560 --> 00:28:42,720 That's for the unbeliever who we all used to be. 460 00:28:44,640 --> 00:28:47,040 He says all of us also lived among them at one time, 461 00:28:47,040 --> 00:28:50,560 gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature, following his 462 00:28:50,560 --> 00:28:51,960 desires and thoughts like the rest. 463 00:28:51,960 --> 00:28:54,560 We were by by nature objects of wrath. 464 00:28:55,400 --> 00:28:58,200 But because of his great love for us, because of what his 465 00:28:58,200 --> 00:29:02,160 great love for us, who God, who is rich in mercy made us alive 466 00:29:02,160 --> 00:29:04,320 with Christ, who made us alive. He made us alive. 467 00:29:04,320 --> 00:29:07,600 You didn't make yourself alive. You didn't draw near to God, and 468 00:29:07,600 --> 00:29:11,920 he met you halfway. God, who is rich in mercy, made 469 00:29:11,920 --> 00:29:13,840 us alive with Christ. Even when we were dead in 470 00:29:13,840 --> 00:29:15,720 transgressions. You were dead in your 471 00:29:15,720 --> 00:29:17,960 transgressions and God made you alive. 472 00:29:19,640 --> 00:29:22,320 He rebirthed you, He regenerated you. 473 00:29:22,840 --> 00:29:25,280 It is by grace you have been saved, not your works. 474 00:29:25,480 --> 00:29:28,280 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us, us with him in 475 00:29:28,280 --> 00:29:30,440 the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the 476 00:29:30,440 --> 00:29:34,120 coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace 477 00:29:34,760 --> 00:29:37,320 expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 478 00:29:37,320 --> 00:29:39,120 Who's doing all this? It's God doing all this. 479 00:29:39,200 --> 00:29:41,800 Your works aren't even involved in this, he says. 480 00:29:41,800 --> 00:29:45,600 For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this 481 00:29:45,600 --> 00:29:49,000 not from yourselves. It is the gift of God, not by 482 00:29:49,000 --> 00:29:54,160 works, so that no one can boast. What is he saying here? 483 00:29:54,640 --> 00:29:57,680 He's saying our works are incapable of saving us because 484 00:29:57,680 --> 00:30:00,840 we are depraved sinners and our works are never good enough to 485 00:30:00,840 --> 00:30:03,800 rescue us. It is Christ's work, His death 486 00:30:03,840 --> 00:30:06,080 on the cross, His burial, his resurrection. 487 00:30:06,880 --> 00:30:10,400 It is through Christ that a Sinner is saved and made 488 00:30:10,560 --> 00:30:14,840 righteous and it is by faith. And what says God-given faith 489 00:30:14,960 --> 00:30:17,160 that we access that? How do we know it's God-given 490 00:30:17,160 --> 00:30:18,840 faith? Because he says it's by grace 491 00:30:19,120 --> 00:30:22,160 and not of works so that you don't boast about it. 492 00:30:22,880 --> 00:30:27,120 I believe and have faith in Christ because God regenerated 493 00:30:27,120 --> 00:30:30,360 me to new life so that I could believe and have faith in Christ 494 00:30:30,440 --> 00:30:32,680 with the gift of faith that God gave me. 495 00:30:34,040 --> 00:30:36,920 He gets all the credit because he deserves all the credit. 496 00:30:38,000 --> 00:30:40,240 And so unfortunately, many are depending upon their own works 497 00:30:40,240 --> 00:30:43,040 and their own efforts to count for something before a holy God, 498 00:30:43,640 --> 00:30:46,120 right. I walked an aisle, I prayed a 499 00:30:46,120 --> 00:30:49,080 prayer. I turned my life over to Jesus. 500 00:30:49,520 --> 00:30:52,680 I stood up at a stadium event just because some man told me to 501 00:30:52,680 --> 00:30:57,240 stand up if I wanted heaven. Wrong answer. 502 00:30:58,400 --> 00:31:01,960 Wrong answer. That is no gospel at all. 503 00:31:02,280 --> 00:31:05,600 And Paul was astonished that they would abandoned the grace 504 00:31:05,600 --> 00:31:10,480 of God and turn back to works that are incapable of saving 505 00:31:10,560 --> 00:31:12,680 men. If God could have saved a single 506 00:31:12,680 --> 00:31:16,680 person through the law, why would he send Christ to die for 507 00:31:16,680 --> 00:31:20,400 Sinner? It absolutely makes no logical 508 00:31:20,400 --> 00:31:22,880 sense and it absolutely makes no biblical sense. 509 00:31:24,240 --> 00:31:28,600 I join with Augustus top Lady, the rider of the old hymn Rock 510 00:31:28,600 --> 00:31:32,240 of Ages, and I declare this not the labours of my hands can 511 00:31:32,240 --> 00:31:36,200 fulfill the law's demands. Could my zeal no respite? 512 00:31:36,200 --> 00:31:41,120 No Could my tears forever flow all for sin could not atone. 513 00:31:41,560 --> 00:31:47,880 Thou must save, and thou alone. And so a gospel that is earned 514 00:31:47,880 --> 00:31:50,680 by works. Please pay attention to me. 515 00:31:50,680 --> 00:31:55,080 American Church in 2025 is no gospel at all. 516 00:31:55,680 --> 00:31:57,960 It is another gospel, and it is a perversion. 517 00:31:57,960 --> 00:32:06,280 Secondly, the gospel is not ecumenical tolerance. 518 00:32:07,880 --> 00:32:10,280 Many of you would ask what in the world is ecumenical 519 00:32:10,360 --> 00:32:14,040 tolerance? Verse 7, he says this the last 520 00:32:14,040 --> 00:32:16,680 part, evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and 521 00:32:16,680 --> 00:32:20,040 are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ and we need to go back 522 00:32:20,040 --> 00:32:23,280 and we need to look exactly how were they perverting the gospel 523 00:32:23,280 --> 00:32:26,920 of of Christ. They were perverting the Gospel 524 00:32:26,920 --> 00:32:34,000 of Christ by trying to get the true believers to tolerate the 525 00:32:34,000 --> 00:32:36,960 customs and the traditions that they were wanting to bring over 526 00:32:36,960 --> 00:32:41,280 from Judaism. This is what we call ecumenical 527 00:32:41,520 --> 00:32:43,360 tolerance. We see it in our day. 528 00:32:43,360 --> 00:32:46,680 This is where new ideas and free thinking and philosophy in 529 00:32:46,680 --> 00:32:51,000 regard to Christianity and doctrine, especially the gospel, 530 00:32:51,000 --> 00:32:53,840 enter in. This is the reason that there 531 00:32:53,840 --> 00:32:56,680 are so many different gospels today, right? 532 00:32:57,400 --> 00:32:59,560 Because we've tolerated ecumenism. 533 00:33:00,200 --> 00:33:04,640 This ecumenical tolerance is a movement in our day that is very 534 00:33:04,640 --> 00:33:09,920 subtle. It is very dangerous, just like 535 00:33:09,920 --> 00:33:12,440 a rattlesnake. He's very subtle. 536 00:33:13,880 --> 00:33:18,400 He sneaks in, he rattles a little bit to charm his prey, 537 00:33:20,080 --> 00:33:24,920 and before they know it, he strikes with deadly venom. 538 00:33:25,720 --> 00:33:30,560 This is the problem with the ecumenical movement of our day, 539 00:33:30,560 --> 00:33:32,640 right? When we all just get along for 540 00:33:32,640 --> 00:33:38,240 the sake of getting along, we slip quietly into false teaching 541 00:33:38,240 --> 00:33:42,520 and into a false gospel that introduces destructive heresies 542 00:33:42,520 --> 00:33:47,920 and perverts the one true gospel, all in the name of 543 00:33:47,920 --> 00:33:54,520 tolerance and unity and peace. Well, the problem with 544 00:33:54,520 --> 00:33:57,080 ecumenical tolerance is this, and you can write this down. 545 00:33:57,080 --> 00:34:02,920 It leaves sound doctrine. It abandons the foundational and 546 00:34:02,920 --> 00:34:08,040 orthodox truths of Christianity that we have lived by for 547 00:34:08,040 --> 00:34:13,159 thousands of years. It leaves sound doctrine, all in 548 00:34:13,159 --> 00:34:16,800 the name of unity and peace, making it sound very good and 549 00:34:16,800 --> 00:34:19,080 very spiritual, right? Aren't we to be a people of 550 00:34:19,080 --> 00:34:20,440 unity? Yes, among ourselves. 551 00:34:22,080 --> 00:34:23,719 Now, are we to be a people of peace? 552 00:34:23,719 --> 00:34:27,320 Yes, internally and among ourselves. 553 00:34:28,679 --> 00:34:31,800 But what the ecumenical movement does is they want us to be at 554 00:34:31,800 --> 00:34:34,639 peace with them and to unify with them and all of their false 555 00:34:34,639 --> 00:34:37,080 doctrine and all of their false teaching and just to give them a 556 00:34:37,080 --> 00:34:39,880 big hug and let's all just agree and get along. 557 00:34:41,760 --> 00:34:47,679 However, this is false peace, this is false unity, and it 558 00:34:47,679 --> 00:34:53,159 comes at the cost of perverting the Gospel almost every single 559 00:34:53,199 --> 00:34:58,320 time. Oh, it'll fill stadiums as we 560 00:34:58,320 --> 00:35:04,160 light candles and sing kumbaya led by pure emotionalism, pure 561 00:35:04,160 --> 00:35:07,360 feelings. But it isn't the true gospel. 562 00:35:08,200 --> 00:35:10,120 It isn't the gospel that saves sinners. 563 00:35:10,960 --> 00:35:14,320 It isn't the gospel that promotes the righteousness of 564 00:35:14,320 --> 00:35:17,480 Christ. It's a gospel that promotes 565 00:35:17,480 --> 00:35:20,160 another agenda which is outside of Christ. 566 00:35:21,320 --> 00:35:25,880 The pastor, it must be right, he said. 567 00:35:25,880 --> 00:35:29,320 Drew a crowd. Church, please listen to me. 568 00:35:29,320 --> 00:35:33,600 That is pragmatism. That is embracing the idea that 569 00:35:33,600 --> 00:35:36,920 it just because it draws a crowd or just because it works in our 570 00:35:36,920 --> 00:35:42,120 mind, it must be right. Can I tell you, unifying with 571 00:35:42,120 --> 00:35:45,880 people at the expense of the true gospel and sound doctrine 572 00:35:45,880 --> 00:35:52,000 is never right. It's always wrong and we as 573 00:35:52,000 --> 00:35:54,720 Christians can no longer adhere to this. 574 00:35:54,720 --> 00:36:01,720 Crowds do not equal conversion. In fact, in John's 6th chapter 575 00:36:01,720 --> 00:36:06,200 of his Gospel in. Verse 60 there Jesus preached a 576 00:36:06,200 --> 00:36:10,000 pretty intense message and it says this in verse 60. 577 00:36:10,000 --> 00:36:12,160 On hearing it, many of his disciples said this is a hard 578 00:36:12,160 --> 00:36:15,440 teaching, who can accept it? We don't like this. 579 00:36:16,960 --> 00:36:18,600 You drop down to 66, you see this? 580 00:36:18,760 --> 00:36:21,600 From this time, many of his disciples turned back and no 581 00:36:21,600 --> 00:36:26,000 longer followed him. Jesus wasn't trying to draw the 582 00:36:26,000 --> 00:36:28,920 crowds. In fact, many times his message 583 00:36:28,920 --> 00:36:32,040 pushed the crowds away. There's some people who like to 584 00:36:32,040 --> 00:36:33,680 say, well, those people were saved and they lost their 585 00:36:33,680 --> 00:36:35,240 salvation. That's not what John teaches in 586 00:36:35,240 --> 00:36:36,960 his first epistle. He says they went out from us 587 00:36:36,960 --> 00:36:41,160 because they were not of us. These were people who, as long 588 00:36:41,160 --> 00:36:44,800 as you were embracing what they wanted you to embrace, they 589 00:36:44,800 --> 00:36:48,320 tolerated you. But when Jesus preached a 590 00:36:48,320 --> 00:36:50,800 message that they didn't like, man, they were gone. 591 00:36:50,800 --> 00:36:53,880 Like yesterday's news, they were out of there. 592 00:36:56,840 --> 00:37:01,720 Couldn't handle sound doctrine because the ecumenical tolerance 593 00:37:01,720 --> 00:37:04,480 movement always leaves sound doctrine. 594 00:37:06,960 --> 00:37:10,760 We can't abandoned the gospel. We can't abandoned sound 595 00:37:10,760 --> 00:37:14,120 doctrine just because people tell us in doing so that we'll 596 00:37:14,120 --> 00:37:18,360 keep peace. You know, this is not what Jesus 597 00:37:18,360 --> 00:37:21,720 taught at all. The sad thing is most of you 598 00:37:21,720 --> 00:37:25,280 don't even know this, but in Matthew chapter 10, here's what 599 00:37:25,280 --> 00:37:29,760 Jesus taught about it. Verse 34 he says, do not suppose 600 00:37:29,760 --> 00:37:31,720 that I have come to bring peace to the earth. 601 00:37:35,720 --> 00:37:39,680 I did not come to bring peace, but a sword, for I have come to 602 00:37:39,680 --> 00:37:42,920 turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a 603 00:37:42,920 --> 00:37:45,000 daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 604 00:37:45,160 --> 00:37:48,720 A man's enemies will be the members of his own household. 605 00:37:48,800 --> 00:37:52,440 What would cause? This to happen, the gospel, the 606 00:37:52,440 --> 00:37:56,440 true gospel of Jesus Christ, What it does is it divides 607 00:37:56,720 --> 00:38:01,840 because when we hear the true gospel, it causes us to embrace 608 00:38:01,840 --> 00:38:06,800 sound doctrine. It causes us to shun those who 609 00:38:06,800 --> 00:38:10,240 do not embrace sound doctrine. It causes a mother to hate her 610 00:38:10,240 --> 00:38:13,640 son because he's a Christian. It causes a father to hate his 611 00:38:13,640 --> 00:38:15,960 children, a child to hate his mother. 612 00:38:16,000 --> 00:38:19,160 It causes all these things to happen that we don't like. 613 00:38:20,480 --> 00:38:23,120 And Jesus said, I didn't come to bring peace between the 614 00:38:23,120 --> 00:38:25,920 believers and the unbelievers. I came to bring peace to the 615 00:38:25,920 --> 00:38:29,640 believer, but I came to bring division. 616 00:38:30,680 --> 00:38:33,760 I came to actually call a group of people. 617 00:38:34,480 --> 00:38:42,240 Out from among the wicked, ecumenical tolerance leaves 618 00:38:42,240 --> 00:38:48,120 sound doctrine and promotes the unity among believers and 619 00:38:48,120 --> 00:38:52,400 unbelievers, among the sound and the unsound that Jesus himself 620 00:38:52,400 --> 00:38:54,760 did not stand for, nor should we. 621 00:38:54,880 --> 00:38:56,760 Why do you think Paul said in our Scripture reading? 622 00:38:56,760 --> 00:38:59,640 Earlier, I'm not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, for it 623 00:38:59,640 --> 00:39:01,840 is the power of God unto salvation for all who believe, 624 00:39:01,840 --> 00:39:03,320 first for the Jew and then for the Gentile. 625 00:39:03,480 --> 00:39:05,800 Why did he have to say I'm not ashamed of this message? 626 00:39:06,120 --> 00:39:08,160 Because there were many who were trying to make him ashamed of 627 00:39:08,160 --> 00:39:10,360 this message. Because this message was 628 00:39:10,360 --> 00:39:12,840 dividing people. This message was dividing homes 629 00:39:12,840 --> 00:39:14,920 just as Jesus said that it would. 630 00:39:15,920 --> 00:39:17,880 Paul says, I'm not going to change the message just so that 631 00:39:17,880 --> 00:39:21,600 we can have false unity and false peace, just so we can get 632 00:39:21,600 --> 00:39:25,720 along with one another. He would not leave or abandoned 633 00:39:25,720 --> 00:39:27,520 the gospel. He would not leave or abandoned 634 00:39:27,520 --> 00:39:31,360 sound doctrine in the name of ecumenical tolerance. 635 00:39:32,240 --> 00:39:37,680 So we see that that toleration of acumenism leads to sound 636 00:39:37,680 --> 00:39:42,080 doctrine or leaves, excuse me, sound doctrine, but it leads to 637 00:39:42,080 --> 00:39:44,760 syncretism. Again, I know this, the word 638 00:39:44,760 --> 00:39:47,280 that many of you have never even began to contemplate. 639 00:39:48,680 --> 00:39:51,360 There are many and many so-called church movements who 640 00:39:51,360 --> 00:39:54,160 would say, pastor, don't use terms like that because you're 641 00:39:54,160 --> 00:39:56,400 going to confuse the people. How about we do it like this. 642 00:39:56,400 --> 00:40:00,800 I've been entrusted to teach you the truth and somehow sometimes 643 00:40:00,800 --> 00:40:03,400 in an understanding the truth, what you have to do is you have 644 00:40:03,400 --> 00:40:07,120 to learn some new things. And so why don't, instead of me 645 00:40:07,120 --> 00:40:09,480 just taking the easy road and dumbing it down for you and 646 00:40:09,480 --> 00:40:12,040 insulting you because I don't want to do that, how about I 647 00:40:12,040 --> 00:40:14,600 actually stop and I shepherd this flock and I teach you what 648 00:40:14,600 --> 00:40:18,840 syncretism really is and how we see it all around us? 649 00:40:18,960 --> 00:40:23,480 And if we're not aware of it is going to take Minnie down leads 650 00:40:23,480 --> 00:40:24,600 to syncretism. What is that? 651 00:40:24,600 --> 00:40:27,120 That's the mixing of sound doctrine with false doctrine. 652 00:40:27,960 --> 00:40:29,640 That is thinking that you can put a. 653 00:40:29,640 --> 00:40:32,840 Little bit of salt in a cup of water and it not become fully 654 00:40:32,840 --> 00:40:36,280 salt water. That's foolish isn't it? 655 00:40:36,720 --> 00:40:39,400 Because even the smallest hint of salt and fresh water, you 656 00:40:39,400 --> 00:40:42,680 will taste it immediately. And So what syncretism does? 657 00:40:42,680 --> 00:40:45,640 They mix sound doctrine with false doctrine, making it all 658 00:40:45,640 --> 00:40:48,840 together false doctrine. How many of you get that that 659 00:40:48,840 --> 00:40:51,800 you can't take sound doctrine and even introduce 1 little 660 00:40:51,800 --> 00:40:54,600 small speck of unsound doctrine and still think you have sound 661 00:40:54,600 --> 00:40:57,200 doctrine? Your doctrine is completely 662 00:40:57,200 --> 00:40:59,280 perverted it at that point in time. 663 00:40:59,800 --> 00:41:02,640 That's what Paul's telling those believers there at Galatia. 664 00:41:03,200 --> 00:41:05,720 In fact, in chapter 5, he drives us home a little more 665 00:41:05,720 --> 00:41:07,440 thoroughly. He says in verse 7, you were 666 00:41:07,440 --> 00:41:11,400 running a good race who cut in on you and kept you from obeying 667 00:41:11,400 --> 00:41:13,240 the truth. You were running grace alone 668 00:41:13,240 --> 00:41:15,920 through faith alone in Christ alone, and accessing God's 669 00:41:15,920 --> 00:41:18,000 righteousness through that and that alone. 670 00:41:18,080 --> 00:41:20,280 And then all of a sudden somebody came in and they 671 00:41:20,280 --> 00:41:22,560 started telling you, yeah, but you also have to keep the works 672 00:41:22,560 --> 00:41:24,120 of the law like we did in Judaism. 673 00:41:24,160 --> 00:41:27,360 You also have to be circumcised like God told Abraham. 674 00:41:27,560 --> 00:41:29,440 And he says this. That kind of persuasion does not 675 00:41:29,440 --> 00:41:31,640 come from the one who calls you. It's not from God. 676 00:41:32,800 --> 00:41:35,760 He says a little yeast works through the whole batch of 677 00:41:35,760 --> 00:41:38,400 dough. He says That little tweak that 678 00:41:38,400 --> 00:41:44,480 they made trying to get you to synchronize with them trying to 679 00:41:44,480 --> 00:41:46,760 get all of you on the same page you've all seen. 680 00:41:47,000 --> 00:41:48,640 The the bumper. Stickers right where you got the 681 00:41:48,640 --> 00:41:51,600 Darwin fish and he's holding the Star of David while he's walking 682 00:41:51,600 --> 00:41:53,800 with a cross in the other hand. Can't we all just get along? 683 00:41:54,480 --> 00:41:55,440 Coexist. That's. 684 00:41:56,080 --> 00:41:59,520 What syncretism is There's nothing new. 685 00:41:59,760 --> 00:42:02,800 There's nothing new under the sun, Solomon tells us. 686 00:42:03,240 --> 00:42:05,560 But as we look at this, please see that it is very prevalent in 687 00:42:05,560 --> 00:42:08,760 our day, as it was in the days of Paul mixing biblical 688 00:42:08,760 --> 00:42:12,440 Christianity with unbiblical so-called Christianity. 689 00:42:12,440 --> 00:42:15,160 Even now in our day, Americanized Christianity, which 690 00:42:15,160 --> 00:42:20,840 is in fact frightening, or even. Worse, religions that aren't 691 00:42:20,840 --> 00:42:24,600 Christian at all, right, where we say, you know what, we ought 692 00:42:24,600 --> 00:42:29,560 to just unite with the Hindus, we ought to unite with the Jew, 693 00:42:29,560 --> 00:42:31,440 or we ought to unite with the Muslim. 694 00:42:33,400 --> 00:42:36,880 Unite with them. We ought to unite here, don't 695 00:42:36,880 --> 00:42:38,360 you think? At least the Roman Catholics 696 00:42:38,360 --> 00:42:40,600 unite with them. I am a Reformed Protestant. 697 00:42:42,120 --> 00:42:45,800 Why would I reunite with the error of the Roman Catholic 698 00:42:45,800 --> 00:42:48,960 Church? No, I would tell you all 699 00:42:48,960 --> 00:42:52,240 plainly, stay away from those doctrines of demons. 700 00:42:52,440 --> 00:42:55,520 They have taken the true gospel and they have intermingled it 701 00:42:55,520 --> 00:42:59,000 with church tradition and the ideology of men, and they have 702 00:42:59,000 --> 00:43:04,160 perverted the one true gospel. I don't make apology for that. 703 00:43:04,840 --> 00:43:06,880 This is exactly what Paul is doing here. 704 00:43:08,320 --> 00:43:12,840 And so I don't sync, synchronize with other religions ever. 705 00:43:13,560 --> 00:43:16,080 But you don't understand, pastor, it's just a a community 706 00:43:16,080 --> 00:43:17,840 event. It's just a political event. 707 00:43:17,840 --> 00:43:20,320 Come on, let's all people of faith join together. 708 00:43:20,560 --> 00:43:25,400 No, they may be people of faith, but they are not people of the 709 00:43:25,440 --> 00:43:28,520 faith. And Paul tells us that we are to 710 00:43:28,560 --> 00:43:33,320 contend for the faith that has once for all been entrusted to 711 00:43:33,320 --> 00:43:34,880 us. And what is the faith? 712 00:43:35,000 --> 00:43:37,000 It is the gospel of Jesus Christ. 713 00:43:37,200 --> 00:43:40,240 And we cannot compromise the gospel of Jesus Christ just 714 00:43:40,240 --> 00:43:42,880 because people want us to synchronize with them. 715 00:43:44,560 --> 00:43:46,840 It's exactly what Paul's telling them here not to do. 716 00:43:46,840 --> 00:43:48,040 He says. Evidently, some people are 717 00:43:48,040 --> 00:43:50,520 throwing you into confusion or trying to pervert the gospel of 718 00:43:50,520 --> 00:43:53,080 Christ. How are they doing that? 719 00:43:54,080 --> 00:43:56,920 Let's take a little Judaism. Let's take a little 720 00:43:56,920 --> 00:43:59,040 Christianity. Let's put it in a jar. 721 00:43:59,040 --> 00:44:00,280 Let's shake it up and see what we have. 722 00:44:00,280 --> 00:44:03,600 But let's just all get along. We can't. 723 00:44:05,040 --> 00:44:07,600 Jesus rebukes churches for doing just this. 724 00:44:07,600 --> 00:44:09,800 You say he does. Yeah. 725 00:44:09,800 --> 00:44:13,160 Have you not read the last book of the Bible, the Revelation of 726 00:44:13,200 --> 00:44:17,040 Jesus Christ? There, in chapter 2, he actually 727 00:44:17,040 --> 00:44:20,560 warns literal, specific churches about some things. 728 00:44:21,360 --> 00:44:23,920 Two in particular stand out in regard to what we're talking 729 00:44:23,920 --> 00:44:26,880 about today. Pergamum, which is found there 730 00:44:26,880 --> 00:44:31,080 in Revelation chapter 2 in the 14th verse, and it says this 731 00:44:31,240 --> 00:44:33,360 after telling them some of the good that they have done. 732 00:44:33,960 --> 00:44:35,800 He says in verse 14. Nevertheless, I have a few 733 00:44:35,800 --> 00:44:37,680 things against you. You have people there who hold 734 00:44:37,680 --> 00:44:40,560 to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the 735 00:44:40,560 --> 00:44:43,360 Israelites to send by eating food, sacrifice to idols and by 736 00:44:43,360 --> 00:44:45,800 committing sexual immorality. He said you're. 737 00:44:45,800 --> 00:44:49,560 Intermingling with the gospel, with sound doctrine, sexual 738 00:44:49,560 --> 00:44:51,760 immorality and idolatry, he says. 739 00:44:51,760 --> 00:44:54,960 Likewise, you have. You also have those who hold to 740 00:44:54,960 --> 00:44:57,320 the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Now just to know a little bit 741 00:44:57,320 --> 00:44:58,760 about the teachings of the Nicolaitans. 742 00:44:58,760 --> 00:45:01,000 These are the people in the day who would say, you know what, 743 00:45:01,000 --> 00:45:02,800 because we have grace, we can live any way that we want to 744 00:45:02,800 --> 00:45:05,040 live. Do what we want to do. 745 00:45:06,600 --> 00:45:08,880 Here's what Christ says to that church. 746 00:45:08,880 --> 00:45:13,520 Repent therefore. Otherwise I will come to you and 747 00:45:13,520 --> 00:45:17,240 will fight against you with the sword of my mouth. 748 00:45:19,040 --> 00:45:24,600 Be warned, in church we are never called to synchronize with 749 00:45:24,600 --> 00:45:26,280 false doctrine and false gospels. 750 00:45:27,400 --> 00:45:29,640 He doesn't stop there. He also speaks to the Church of 751 00:45:29,640 --> 00:45:32,800 Thyatira. He says in verse 20 of chapter 752 00:45:32,800 --> 00:45:34,000 2. Nevertheless, I have this 753 00:45:34,000 --> 00:45:36,640 against you. You tolerate the woman, the 754 00:45:36,640 --> 00:45:39,160 woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. 755 00:45:39,640 --> 00:45:42,960 By her teaching, she misleads my servants into sexual immorality 756 00:45:43,160 --> 00:45:45,920 and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. 757 00:45:45,920 --> 00:45:48,960 What's going on here? You have this woman, Jezebel, 758 00:45:48,960 --> 00:45:53,400 she's controlling and she's obviously somehow stepped into a 759 00:45:53,400 --> 00:45:55,720 a role of being a prominent teacher in the church, which 760 00:45:55,720 --> 00:45:58,560 should never be. And she is now misleading the 761 00:45:58,560 --> 00:46:02,040 entire group of people into sexual immorality and eating 762 00:46:02,040 --> 00:46:04,120 food sacrificed to idols. What is she doing? 763 00:46:04,280 --> 00:46:07,640 She's taking paganism and she's taking Christianity and she's 764 00:46:07,640 --> 00:46:11,960 mixing it all together. But isn't that what we do in our 765 00:46:11,960 --> 00:46:15,000 day? We take a little paganism, we 766 00:46:15,000 --> 00:46:17,200 take a little Christianity, we mix it all together. 767 00:46:18,120 --> 00:46:21,560 Say we're all just trying to do our best as we journey on to 768 00:46:21,560 --> 00:46:23,280 heaven. Can't we all just get along for 769 00:46:23,280 --> 00:46:25,280 the sake of getting along? That's syncretism. 770 00:46:25,280 --> 00:46:27,520 You kind of have an idea of what it is now, don't you? 771 00:46:30,080 --> 00:46:35,840 And unfortunately, ecumenical tolerance leads to syncretism 772 00:46:35,840 --> 00:46:39,560 most of the time. We're not called to tolerate. 773 00:46:39,560 --> 00:46:42,720 We're not called to accept. We're not, and called to embrace 774 00:46:43,160 --> 00:46:46,640 confusing perversions of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 775 00:46:46,640 --> 00:46:51,120 Never are we taught to do that. The gospel message is not 776 00:46:51,120 --> 00:46:55,640 ecumenical tolerance. In fact, it is an intolerant 777 00:46:55,640 --> 00:46:59,880 message. It is an exclusive message and 778 00:46:59,880 --> 00:47:04,160 we don't care if the world hates us and if the world kills us 779 00:47:04,160 --> 00:47:06,400 because we stand on the true gospel. 780 00:47:06,560 --> 00:47:10,600 We cannot compromise the true gospel just to pacify the 781 00:47:10,600 --> 00:47:15,520 pagans. Paul and his day dealt with, and 782 00:47:15,520 --> 00:47:16,880 we're dealing with it in our day. 783 00:47:18,720 --> 00:47:25,160 The gospel is not ecumenical tolerance #3 the gospel is not 784 00:47:25,160 --> 00:47:31,600 evolving in nature. Verse 8, he says, But even if we 785 00:47:31,600 --> 00:47:34,640 are, an Angel from heaven should preach the gospel other than the 786 00:47:34,640 --> 00:47:37,960 one we preach to you. That's for the Mormons who 787 00:47:37,960 --> 00:47:40,480 received another gospel from the Angel Moroni. 788 00:47:43,000 --> 00:47:45,640 Watch what Paul says about this. Let them be eternally condemned, 789 00:47:46,440 --> 00:47:49,040 as you have already said. So now I say again, if anybody 790 00:47:49,040 --> 00:47:52,720 is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, 791 00:47:52,920 --> 00:47:58,680 let him be eternally condemned. Oh, it's a serious business. 792 00:47:58,680 --> 00:48:01,720 Two different times Paul talks about eternal condemnation for 793 00:48:01,720 --> 00:48:03,600 those who would pervert the gospel. 794 00:48:05,000 --> 00:48:08,520 He says, if it's me, may I be eternally condemned. 795 00:48:08,680 --> 00:48:11,280 If it's any of the other apostles, may they be eternally 796 00:48:11,280 --> 00:48:14,000 condemned. If an Angel himself give you 797 00:48:14,000 --> 00:48:17,200 another gospel other than the gospel that we preach, he said 798 00:48:17,200 --> 00:48:19,440 let them be eternally condemned. This is serious business. 799 00:48:19,440 --> 00:48:20,640 I want you to pay attention to it. 800 00:48:22,320 --> 00:48:23,960 I want you to pay attention to things like this. 801 00:48:23,960 --> 00:48:27,320 When when the the the so-called church in America is distracting 802 00:48:27,320 --> 00:48:29,960 so many people right now, instead of teaching them sound 803 00:48:29,960 --> 00:48:32,080 biblical truth, they're distracting them with new age 804 00:48:32,080 --> 00:48:35,040 thinking. Pay attention to this. 805 00:48:36,280 --> 00:48:42,280 The gospel is unchanging. It's not going to evolve, not by 806 00:48:42,280 --> 00:48:46,400 the apostles, not by so-called apostles of today, not by an 807 00:48:46,400 --> 00:48:49,560 Angel from heaven, not by a demon from hell. 808 00:48:50,120 --> 00:48:53,000 If anyone delivers to you a gospel other than the gospel 809 00:48:53,000 --> 00:48:55,760 that the Lord Jesus Christ preached that he passed down to 810 00:48:55,760 --> 00:48:59,200 his apostles, that you believe that salvation if you're truly 811 00:48:59,200 --> 00:49:01,800 saved. So if anyone brings you a 812 00:49:01,800 --> 00:49:04,840 different gospel than that, you need to know what you're dealing 813 00:49:04,840 --> 00:49:06,920 with. You're dealing with someone who 814 00:49:06,920 --> 00:49:10,240 is eternally condemned. You are dealing with the dregs 815 00:49:10,240 --> 00:49:12,880 of the dregs, the most wicked of the wicked. 816 00:49:13,880 --> 00:49:16,240 Why is this important? Why is this important that we 817 00:49:16,240 --> 00:49:20,200 understand that the gospel is not evolving in nature because 818 00:49:20,200 --> 00:49:24,640 there are many who are making additions and many who are 819 00:49:24,640 --> 00:49:30,120 making subtractions to the gospel in our time to make them 820 00:49:30,120 --> 00:49:34,680 more acceptable. The gospel message cannot 821 00:49:34,680 --> 00:49:39,360 change. It doesn't evolve over time. 822 00:49:40,680 --> 00:49:44,200 Just as Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever, 823 00:49:44,200 --> 00:49:47,360 the gospel that Jesus Christ preached just the same 824 00:49:47,360 --> 00:49:53,880 yesterday, today, and forever. So we can't change it. 825 00:49:55,640 --> 00:49:57,920 We can't change it for cultural preferences. 826 00:49:57,920 --> 00:50:02,680 Don't we see that today, man? Those who seek and attempt to 827 00:50:02,680 --> 00:50:05,960 change the gospel to meet the thought needs of the culture, 828 00:50:06,720 --> 00:50:09,640 seeking to make it relevant or cool or hip? 829 00:50:11,760 --> 00:50:14,000 To be honest with you, I'm quite nauseated. 830 00:50:14,000 --> 00:50:20,200 By it, but we attempt to put the gospel in some attractive 831 00:50:20,680 --> 00:50:26,200 package so that our culture will think it's relevant or preachers 832 00:50:26,200 --> 00:50:29,400 try they they put more effort in being cool than they do studying 833 00:50:29,400 --> 00:50:33,000 the word of God. And I say this to all of them. 834 00:50:33,000 --> 00:50:34,680 Don't you think I'm cool? I'm cool. 835 00:50:37,880 --> 00:50:39,720 No, I don't care anything about being cool. 836 00:50:42,000 --> 00:50:45,200 I want to be biblical and I want to make sure that the gospel 837 00:50:45,200 --> 00:50:47,320 that I preach is biblical, and I'm not going to allow that 838 00:50:47,320 --> 00:50:50,880 gospel to be changed just because culture seeks to make 839 00:50:50,880 --> 00:50:54,360 that gospel relevant in their day. 840 00:50:54,800 --> 00:50:58,280 Has anything really changed? Sinners are still sinners. 841 00:50:58,280 --> 00:51:01,200 They're still wicked, they're still depraved, and they are 842 00:51:01,200 --> 00:51:04,360 still in need of the only sacrifice that has ever been 843 00:51:04,360 --> 00:51:07,720 made that will purify A Sinner from their sin, and that is the 844 00:51:07,720 --> 00:51:13,280 sacrifice of Jesus Christ. So those who seek to make the 845 00:51:13,280 --> 00:51:17,680 gospel more entertaining, they do it simply because they 846 00:51:17,680 --> 00:51:22,560 understand that we have a culture that demands 847 00:51:22,920 --> 00:51:26,680 entertainment. Now they're all afraid to call 848 00:51:26,680 --> 00:51:28,840 it what it is. I'll call it it's the idol of 849 00:51:28,840 --> 00:51:33,080 entertainment. Our society thinks that they 850 00:51:33,080 --> 00:51:35,920 have to be entertained all of the time. 851 00:51:38,920 --> 00:51:43,640 And we cannot think that the gospel changes so that people 852 00:51:43,640 --> 00:51:46,160 will be entertained. You know how I know this? 853 00:51:46,640 --> 00:51:48,640 Because I know many people who won't read their Bible, but 854 00:51:48,640 --> 00:51:53,960 they'll watch the Chosen, a perversion of the Bible. 855 00:51:55,160 --> 00:51:56,320 You say a perversion of the Bible. 856 00:51:56,320 --> 00:51:58,320 Yeah, a perversion of the Bible, because they don't take the 857 00:51:58,320 --> 00:52:00,480 Bible word for word. What they do is they actually 858 00:52:00,480 --> 00:52:05,120 use artistic license or liberty to make it fit the agenda that 859 00:52:05,120 --> 00:52:08,640 they're trying to spew out. Not on many of you. 860 00:52:08,640 --> 00:52:11,400 You're going to get mad because you're more loyal to ATV Show 861 00:52:11,400 --> 00:52:13,720 than you are to Christ himself, and that's quite all right. 862 00:52:13,720 --> 00:52:17,800 Get mad. The reality is you're not mad at 863 00:52:17,800 --> 00:52:24,560 me, you're mad at the truth. And we have a culture that is so 864 00:52:24,560 --> 00:52:27,800 driven by entertainment that many people think that we have 865 00:52:27,800 --> 00:52:34,440 to somehow evolve the gospel to fit our generation, right? 866 00:52:34,440 --> 00:52:37,960 We got to have some sermon clip before the preacher ever gets up 867 00:52:37,960 --> 00:52:40,280 there, after he walks out of his green room, because he doesn't 868 00:52:40,280 --> 00:52:42,440 associate with the normal people, because he'd never stoop 869 00:52:42,440 --> 00:52:43,040 that. Low. 870 00:52:47,280 --> 00:52:51,200 He walks out of his green room drinking Starbucks in his skinny 871 00:52:51,200 --> 00:52:58,680 pants to entertain the people, and he leaves out the gospel 872 00:52:58,680 --> 00:53:01,480 where he gives them the shallow, unbiblical gospel. 873 00:53:01,480 --> 00:53:03,040 Why? Because the culture says 874 00:53:03,040 --> 00:53:07,200 entertain us, entertain us, so that's what we do. 875 00:53:07,360 --> 00:53:09,320 No, the gospel is not evolving in nature. 876 00:53:09,320 --> 00:53:12,560 It has not become something that we use to entertain people. 877 00:53:14,480 --> 00:53:16,480 The Gospel is the truth of the Word of God. 878 00:53:17,360 --> 00:53:19,800 It is the message of the death, the burial, the resurrection of 879 00:53:19,920 --> 00:53:23,080 Jesus Christ. And that cannot change, not for 880 00:53:23,080 --> 00:53:24,880 people's cultural. Preferences. 881 00:53:28,200 --> 00:53:35,200 Not for what they like or dislike, Not to market it to a 882 00:53:35,200 --> 00:53:37,960 crowd who would otherwise not receive it. 883 00:53:37,960 --> 00:53:40,800 Oh, don't we see that nowadays? Let's make the gospel marketable 884 00:53:40,800 --> 00:53:42,240 because the old gospel didn't sell. 885 00:53:42,240 --> 00:53:44,280 Let me just tell you something. I'm not here to sell the gospel. 886 00:53:45,960 --> 00:53:49,960 I'm here to preach the gospel as the gospel is preached. 887 00:53:49,960 --> 00:53:53,120 God does what He does with the Word of God as it goes forth. 888 00:53:53,120 --> 00:53:54,880 I'm not in charge of the results. 889 00:53:56,480 --> 00:53:58,960 But do you know that there are churches who spend endless 890 00:53:58,960 --> 00:54:05,520 amounts of money on marketing schemes and marketing campaigns 891 00:54:05,520 --> 00:54:11,640 to try to make the gospel more attractive and more appealing so 892 00:54:11,640 --> 00:54:17,080 that people will choose this message over the alternative? 893 00:54:17,800 --> 00:54:19,080 You know, the problem with that is this. 894 00:54:20,320 --> 00:54:22,200 The true gospel speaks nothing of that at all. 895 00:54:23,880 --> 00:54:28,120 The true gospel has never been about man choosing God, but it's 896 00:54:28,120 --> 00:54:29,840 always been about God choosing man. 897 00:54:30,720 --> 00:54:33,000 Oh, you don't believe me? Why don't you go to the first 898 00:54:33,000 --> 00:54:35,160 disciples who were there just doing what they did. 899 00:54:35,360 --> 00:54:38,720 They sinned and they fished and Jesus met them and they're 900 00:54:38,720 --> 00:54:41,520 sinning in and they're fishing. He said leave your Nets and come 901 00:54:41,680 --> 00:54:44,320 and follow me. So with that, does that really 902 00:54:44,320 --> 00:54:45,480 him choosing him? I don't know. 903 00:54:45,480 --> 00:54:50,840 He tells him in John 1516 this plainly he says you did not 904 00:54:50,840 --> 00:54:52,920 choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear 905 00:54:52,920 --> 00:54:57,880 fruit, fruit that will last. I don't have to market Jesus so 906 00:54:57,880 --> 00:55:00,760 that man can choose Jesus. I have to preach Jesus so that 907 00:55:00,760 --> 00:55:03,520 they hear the word of God and God would effectually choose 908 00:55:03,520 --> 00:55:06,160 them and call them out of darkness into His marvelous. 909 00:55:06,160 --> 00:55:10,880 Light I don't have to package that up into something pretty. 910 00:55:13,240 --> 00:55:15,200 Try to make it. Easy for men to choose him. 911 00:55:16,240 --> 00:55:18,400 Know what I have to do is I have to preach the truth and let the 912 00:55:18,400 --> 00:55:21,240 choosing fall on the shoulders of the one who does the 913 00:55:21,240 --> 00:55:23,080 choosing. In fact, John chapter 6, verse 914 00:55:23,080 --> 00:55:27,560 44, the Scripture, we often forget. 915 00:55:27,560 --> 00:55:30,600 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him and 916 00:55:30,600 --> 00:55:32,640 I will raise him up at the last day. 917 00:55:32,640 --> 00:55:37,120 No one's coming to Christ because of your marketing 918 00:55:37,120 --> 00:55:39,480 campaign or your marketing schemes. 919 00:55:40,160 --> 00:55:43,280 Your American ideas of advertisement People are coming 920 00:55:43,280 --> 00:55:46,960 to Christ when God himself, by his grace and by his sovereign 921 00:55:46,960 --> 00:55:49,240 power, calls them out of darkness and into light, 922 00:55:49,360 --> 00:55:52,320 regenerating them so that they can believe and so that they can 923 00:55:52,320 --> 00:55:53,880 repent. That's the gospel of Jesus 924 00:55:53,880 --> 00:55:57,400 Christ and. It doesn't change. 925 00:55:59,000 --> 00:56:02,960 We can't allow it to change, not on our watch. 926 00:56:05,640 --> 00:56:09,960 Well, it can't change. Not for cultural preferences, 927 00:56:09,960 --> 00:56:12,600 not for comfort purposes. Don't people want us to change 928 00:56:12,600 --> 00:56:14,600 the gospel to make it comfortable for other people? 929 00:56:14,600 --> 00:56:16,400 Now, Pastor, you need to calm down a little bit. 930 00:56:19,880 --> 00:56:23,280 Calm down with what I'm passionate about. 931 00:56:23,280 --> 00:56:27,000 A message that God spoke through a preacher to me one day. 932 00:56:28,160 --> 00:56:31,240 It was the words of life that rescued this filthy, rotten 933 00:56:31,240 --> 00:56:35,400 center from the hell that I deserved, that declared to me 934 00:56:35,400 --> 00:56:38,000 that God loves me in spite of me, and He loved me enough to 935 00:56:38,000 --> 00:56:41,640 send His only begotten Son to this earth to die in my place, 936 00:56:41,640 --> 00:56:43,640 bearing the wrath that I deserved. 937 00:56:44,600 --> 00:56:46,360 And you want me to calm down about that? 938 00:56:46,480 --> 00:56:48,240 That's the greatest story ever told. 939 00:56:49,760 --> 00:56:52,920 Why would I not tell that with passion in my heart and passion 940 00:56:52,920 --> 00:56:55,120 in my lungs and passion from my voice? 941 00:56:58,440 --> 00:57:00,240 We're not here to make people comfortable. 942 00:57:01,560 --> 00:57:04,120 Right give us a more palatable message, pastor, could you maybe 943 00:57:04,280 --> 00:57:06,800 you know, do ain't the pulpit and get maybe a pub table with 944 00:57:06,800 --> 00:57:12,120 the water on it that you never drink because it makes us feel 945 00:57:12,120 --> 00:57:14,280 like we're just in a pub having a good time We're. 946 00:57:14,280 --> 00:57:18,560 Not in a pub having a good time. We're in a church where Christ 947 00:57:18,560 --> 00:57:21,640 is to be exalted and Christ is to be preached and Christ is to 948 00:57:21,640 --> 00:57:23,360 be honored. That's where we are. 949 00:57:23,360 --> 00:57:28,080 We're. Not going to change the message 950 00:57:28,680 --> 00:57:31,760 to make you comfortable. Well, change it just a little, 951 00:57:31,760 --> 00:57:33,640 right? Don't include the judgement and 952 00:57:33,640 --> 00:57:37,960 the wrath and the hell that is to come upon the unbeliever that 953 00:57:37,960 --> 00:57:41,400 makes them uncomfortable. How about you could preach a a 954 00:57:41,400 --> 00:57:45,920 less confining message, right? Encouraging followers, instead 955 00:57:45,920 --> 00:57:49,320 of living holy lives, to just use grace as a license to sin, 956 00:57:49,320 --> 00:57:50,040 right? You're saved. 957 00:57:50,040 --> 00:57:51,760 So do whatever in the world that you want to do. 958 00:57:51,760 --> 00:57:54,120 That's called antinomianism. It's been around a while. 959 00:57:56,240 --> 00:58:00,160 It's a heresy, and it always will be a heresy, to think that 960 00:58:00,160 --> 00:58:02,880 you can claim to have the grace of God and then live any way 961 00:58:02,880 --> 00:58:04,880 that you want to live. That's an American ideal. 962 00:58:08,160 --> 00:58:10,920 Violate Scripture. Romans 6. 963 00:58:11,160 --> 00:58:12,960 Paul says this. What shall we say then? 964 00:58:13,200 --> 00:58:15,400 Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 965 00:58:15,400 --> 00:58:17,400 By no means, God forbid. We didn't. 966 00:58:17,440 --> 00:58:19,840 We died to sin. How can we live in it any 967 00:58:19,840 --> 00:58:22,440 longer? But isn't it true of the 968 00:58:22,440 --> 00:58:24,360 American church? We have taken grace and made 969 00:58:24,360 --> 00:58:29,560 grace a license to sin because we preach a less confining 970 00:58:29,560 --> 00:58:31,960 gospel, right? We preach the gospel, the gospel 971 00:58:31,960 --> 00:58:33,280 of freedom. You know what the scripture 972 00:58:33,280 --> 00:58:35,080 says. Do not use your freedom to 973 00:58:35,080 --> 00:58:42,800 indulge in your sinful nature. How about a less offensive 974 00:58:42,840 --> 00:58:49,920 message, Pastor? Remove the offensive nature of 975 00:58:49,920 --> 00:58:53,640 the gospel so as not to offend anyone. 976 00:58:55,280 --> 00:58:56,480 Paul says this in First Corinthians. 977 00:58:56,480 --> 00:58:59,160 He says in chapter 1, verse 18. For the message of the cross is 978 00:58:59,160 --> 00:59:01,240 foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are 979 00:59:01,240 --> 00:59:03,160 being saved, it is the power of God. 980 00:59:03,880 --> 00:59:05,760 It's foolishness to the lost people. 981 00:59:06,120 --> 00:59:09,080 They're not going to understand it until God quickens them so 982 00:59:09,080 --> 00:59:11,920 that they can see the truth. It will always be offensive and 983 00:59:11,920 --> 00:59:15,360 it will always be foolish to them until God does a work. 984 00:59:15,480 --> 00:59:17,960 Again, I am not responsible for that work. 985 00:59:18,840 --> 00:59:21,560 I'm responsible to preach the pure message of the gospel of 986 00:59:21,640 --> 00:59:23,640 Jesus Christ. And so are all of you who claim 987 00:59:23,640 --> 00:59:28,640 to be in Christ. Don't look for a less offensive 988 00:59:28,640 --> 00:59:32,720 message for the comfort of people. 989 00:59:33,560 --> 00:59:35,160 How about a more attractive message? 990 00:59:37,360 --> 00:59:41,080 You get to keep the world. You get to keep the indulgences 991 00:59:41,080 --> 00:59:44,400 of the world. You get to have Jesus too. 992 00:59:45,800 --> 00:59:47,400 There is no forsaking of yourself. 993 00:59:48,240 --> 00:59:50,160 There's no coming out of your sexual immorality. 994 00:59:50,160 --> 00:59:51,720 There's no coming out of your drunkenness. 995 00:59:51,720 --> 00:59:54,120 There is no coming out of your gossip or your slander or your 996 00:59:54,120 --> 00:59:59,160 lying. How about we preach a gospel 997 00:59:59,160 --> 01:00:02,000 that's more attractive, right? You get to live the same way 998 01:00:02,000 --> 01:00:06,360 you've always been living, catering to the pleasures of 999 01:00:06,360 --> 01:00:11,680 your flesh, indulging in sin. And you get heaven in the end. 1000 01:00:11,680 --> 01:00:14,280 Doesn't that sound like the American gospel in a nutshell? 1001 01:00:15,840 --> 01:00:17,600 I've told you I've been to enough funerals. 1002 01:00:19,280 --> 01:00:22,360 Everyone goes to heaven because we're all pretty good old boys 1003 01:00:22,360 --> 01:00:26,040 and gals, which is not the gospel. 1004 01:00:28,240 --> 01:00:30,160 Could you give us a more attractive message? 1005 01:00:31,200 --> 01:00:32,640 Here's the message that Jesus preached. 1006 01:00:32,640 --> 01:00:35,480 He says if anyone would come after me, he must deny himself 1007 01:00:35,480 --> 01:00:36,800 and take up his cross and follow me. 1008 01:00:36,800 --> 01:00:40,880 That's the message of Christ. Self denial, willingness to 1009 01:00:40,880 --> 01:00:44,160 suffer for his glory and for his message for his name's sake. 1010 01:00:44,160 --> 01:00:45,720 That's the message of the gospel. 1011 01:00:51,880 --> 01:00:56,000 The gospel message cannot change, is not evolving in 1012 01:00:56,000 --> 01:00:59,480 nature because the attempt to change the gospel comes with 1013 01:00:59,480 --> 01:01:01,520 consequences. Pay attention to what Paul says 1014 01:01:01,520 --> 01:01:06,080 there about the consequences. He says let him be eternally 1015 01:01:06,080 --> 01:01:11,960 condemned. If an Angel or an apostle or 1016 01:01:11,960 --> 01:01:15,840 pastor or so-called evangelist or politician or whoever it may 1017 01:01:15,840 --> 01:01:21,400 be preaches a gospel message that is not the true gospel, he 1018 01:01:21,400 --> 01:01:24,560 says let him be eternally condemned. 1019 01:01:26,880 --> 01:01:30,520 I want you to understand that because when you attempt to 1020 01:01:30,520 --> 01:01:35,360 change the gospel, there are consequences that follow no 1021 01:01:35,360 --> 01:01:41,680 matter who you are. An apostle, an Angel, Sunday 1022 01:01:41,680 --> 01:01:46,880 school teacher, a plumber, electrician. 1023 01:01:50,080 --> 01:01:53,200 Satan introduces these lies into the churches. 1024 01:01:55,000 --> 01:01:57,200 How does he do it? That's why Paul takes the stance 1025 01:01:57,200 --> 01:01:59,560 that he takes Second Corinthians Chapter 11 and tells us this. 1026 01:01:59,920 --> 01:02:02,760 He says, for such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen 1027 01:02:02,760 --> 01:02:04,560 masquerading as apostles of Christ. 1028 01:02:04,920 --> 01:02:07,440 That's why Paul said that even one of us gives you a different 1029 01:02:07,440 --> 01:02:11,160 gospel. Beware of this person, he says, 1030 01:02:11,160 --> 01:02:13,840 and no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an Angel of 1031 01:02:13,840 --> 01:02:16,120 light. It is not surprising then, if 1032 01:02:16,120 --> 01:02:18,360 his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. 1033 01:02:18,360 --> 01:02:20,040 Their. End will be what their actions 1034 01:02:20,040 --> 01:02:21,440 deserve. What is their end? 1035 01:02:21,560 --> 01:02:26,240 Eternal condemnation, that's the warning that Paul is giving. 1036 01:02:26,440 --> 01:02:29,160 That is why it is so important that we understand the true 1037 01:02:29,160 --> 01:02:33,160 gospel and we avoid all of these false gospels that are out there 1038 01:02:36,920 --> 01:02:38,520 because. Eternal condemnation will come 1039 01:02:38,520 --> 01:02:45,040 upon those who teach those Gospels and those who those 1040 01:02:45,040 --> 01:02:49,240 gospels lead astray. It's very important that we 1041 01:02:49,240 --> 01:02:52,440 understand that the Gospel is not evolving in nature. 1042 01:02:52,800 --> 01:02:54,880 So we see this. It's not earned by our works. 1043 01:02:55,920 --> 01:02:59,360 It's not ecumenical tolerance. It's not evolving in nature. 1044 01:03:02,200 --> 01:03:05,560 Lastly, it's not eagerly accepted. 1045 01:03:09,040 --> 01:03:11,240 Paul says something in verse 10 that you might think 1046 01:03:11,240 --> 01:03:12,720 immediately. This seems kind of out of place. 1047 01:03:14,360 --> 01:03:16,160 He's warning them that if someone preaches a gospel, 1048 01:03:16,160 --> 01:03:18,400 that's not the gospel that I preach, even if it's an Angel or 1049 01:03:18,400 --> 01:03:22,240 another one of us. He said let them be eternally 1050 01:03:22,240 --> 01:03:25,400 condemned. What Paul is doing here, he's 1051 01:03:25,400 --> 01:03:27,320 standing up when others are not willing to stand. 1052 01:03:27,800 --> 01:03:29,880 It was chaos going on at the Church of Galatia. 1053 01:03:30,240 --> 01:03:33,400 There were these Judaizers who had crept in there and they were 1054 01:03:33,400 --> 01:03:37,880 introducing a false gospel. And this false gospel obviously 1055 01:03:37,920 --> 01:03:39,600 was more eagerly accepted, right? 1056 01:03:39,600 --> 01:03:41,880 We get to keep Judaism and we get to keep all the traditions 1057 01:03:41,880 --> 01:03:46,200 that we were brought up in and. We get the gospel of Jesus 1058 01:03:46,200 --> 01:03:49,120 Christ, which when you intermingled the two, there was 1059 01:03:49,120 --> 01:03:51,440 no gospel of Jesus Christ left at all. 1060 01:03:52,440 --> 01:03:55,200 It was the gospel of these who would pervert it. 1061 01:03:55,200 --> 01:03:58,480 And Paul says, am I now trying to win the approval of men or of 1062 01:03:58,480 --> 01:04:00,720 God, or am I now trying to please men? 1063 01:04:00,720 --> 01:04:03,560 If I was still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of 1064 01:04:03,560 --> 01:04:05,840 Christ. And so the true gospel has been 1065 01:04:06,200 --> 01:04:11,280 often altered so that people will will more eagerly accept 1066 01:04:11,280 --> 01:04:14,560 it. However, please listen to me 1067 01:04:14,560 --> 01:04:18,480 Church. We should never alter the gospel 1068 01:04:18,480 --> 01:04:21,600 so that it will be more eagerly accept it. 1069 01:04:23,320 --> 01:04:25,760 It's a true gospel will by nature. 1070 01:04:27,920 --> 01:04:34,600 It will by nature offend people. It will by nature not be 1071 01:04:34,600 --> 01:04:38,320 appealing to man's flesh. Oh, I remember the day that I 1072 01:04:38,320 --> 01:04:39,840 heard the gospel when I was saved. 1073 01:04:40,080 --> 01:04:43,520 That preacher was telling me how rotten and how awful. 1074 01:04:43,520 --> 01:04:45,760 And how sinful I was. And I remember in that moment 1075 01:04:45,760 --> 01:04:48,200 I'm thinking, who does this guy think he is telling me how awful 1076 01:04:48,200 --> 01:04:50,880 I am? Little did I know that God was 1077 01:04:50,880 --> 01:04:53,920 working to regenerate my heart, to show me just how right that 1078 01:04:53,920 --> 01:05:00,160 man was, that I am in and of myself, awful and unrighteous 1079 01:05:00,160 --> 01:05:03,680 and sinful and wicked, and I did need a Savior. 1080 01:05:05,520 --> 01:05:09,480 So the gospel message, the true gospel message, is not eagerly 1081 01:05:09,480 --> 01:05:12,240 accepted because it is an offensive message. 1082 01:05:12,240 --> 01:05:13,760 John MacArthur said it like this. 1083 01:05:15,600 --> 01:05:18,000 He said the Gospel is not a message that tells people what 1084 01:05:18,000 --> 01:05:20,960 they want to hear. It's a message that tells them 1085 01:05:20,960 --> 01:05:24,840 what they need to hear. That's why it's offensive. 1086 01:05:26,120 --> 01:05:28,680 That's why it's offensive. It tells you what you need to 1087 01:05:28,680 --> 01:05:32,120 hear, and you might not be ready to hear that at that time. 1088 01:05:32,120 --> 01:05:37,000 And so it offends you because the true gospel confronts man's 1089 01:05:37,000 --> 01:05:40,280 sin. It crushes man's pride. 1090 01:05:40,560 --> 01:05:45,640 It deems man sinful and helpless and spiritually dead and 1091 01:05:45,640 --> 01:05:48,680 incapable of having a right relationship with his Creator. 1092 01:05:50,000 --> 01:05:53,440 Then it goes on and it declares an exclusive salvation in Christ 1093 01:05:53,440 --> 01:05:58,440 alone, and it demands repentance and surrender to Jesus as Lord 1094 01:05:58,440 --> 01:06:02,320 and Savior. Then it promises persecution to 1095 01:06:02,320 --> 01:06:08,360 all who embrace it. But it also promises hell and 1096 01:06:08,360 --> 01:06:11,360 judgement to all those who do not. 1097 01:06:12,440 --> 01:06:16,080 And so the gospel by nature can be offensive to the natural ear, 1098 01:06:16,160 --> 01:06:21,440 can't it? But just because the gospel is 1099 01:06:21,440 --> 01:06:25,880 offensive, we don't have to change it so that it will be 1100 01:06:25,880 --> 01:06:33,080 eagerly accepted, because it is. So offensive because so many are 1101 01:06:33,080 --> 01:06:38,480 offended by it. Here's often the reason why 1102 01:06:39,480 --> 01:06:42,680 churches and pastors and ministries think that they have 1103 01:06:42,680 --> 01:06:45,920 to A water it down. B Sugar coat it. 1104 01:06:46,720 --> 01:06:50,960 Or see completely leave it out. And all of those are wrong. 1105 01:06:52,040 --> 01:06:56,800 The gospel is offensive. May we not forget church, please 1106 01:06:56,800 --> 01:07:02,280 listen. May we not forget what they 1107 01:07:02,280 --> 01:07:05,560 desired to do to Jesus because of the message that he preached. 1108 01:07:07,320 --> 01:07:10,120 May we not forget that our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ in 1109 01:07:10,120 --> 01:07:12,960 John chapter 8 verse 40, he calls the Pharisees out. 1110 01:07:12,960 --> 01:07:14,160 They say we're children of Abraham. 1111 01:07:14,160 --> 01:07:15,800 He says no, you're not your children of Satan because 1112 01:07:15,800 --> 01:07:17,520 children of Abraham don't plot what you're plotting. 1113 01:07:17,520 --> 01:07:21,920 You're plotting to kill me. Why were they plotting to kill 1114 01:07:21,920 --> 01:07:25,360 him? Because of the message of truth, 1115 01:07:25,360 --> 01:07:28,840 the gospel that he preached, the message of repentance and faith 1116 01:07:29,320 --> 01:07:33,400 unto God for salvation. That alone may we not forget 1117 01:07:33,400 --> 01:07:38,000 what they did to Stephen, first martyr to follow in the 1118 01:07:38,000 --> 01:07:41,880 footsteps of Christ. Acts Chapter 7 what did they do 1119 01:07:42,600 --> 01:07:47,120 as he knelt and they plotted to stone him to death after 1120 01:07:47,120 --> 01:07:51,160 preaching the clear passionate gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ 1121 01:07:52,280 --> 01:07:55,600 says in verse 59. While they were stoning him 1122 01:07:55,600 --> 01:07:58,000 there in Acts Chapter 7, he prayed. 1123 01:07:58,000 --> 01:08:01,120 Lord Jesus received my spirit. And then he fell on his knees 1124 01:08:01,120 --> 01:08:04,440 and cried out, Lord, do not hold this sin against them. 1125 01:08:04,440 --> 01:08:07,400 And when he said this, he fell asleep. 1126 01:08:07,560 --> 01:08:11,520 Now, what did Steven do? He didn't change the message so 1127 01:08:11,520 --> 01:08:13,880 that they were would eagerly accept it. 1128 01:08:15,000 --> 01:08:18,279 He preached the wrong message of the gospel, knowing that they 1129 01:08:18,279 --> 01:08:20,439 were probably going to kill him for it. 1130 01:08:20,439 --> 01:08:23,319 And as they killed him for it, you know what he did? 1131 01:08:23,720 --> 01:08:28,200 He prayed for their souls. That's the gospel, Father, 1132 01:08:28,200 --> 01:08:31,640 forgive them, for they know not what they do. 1133 01:08:31,880 --> 01:08:35,279 God, we're dependent upon your mercy and your forgiveness and 1134 01:08:35,279 --> 01:08:39,240 that alone. Stephen didn't try to make the 1135 01:08:39,240 --> 01:08:44,240 gospel more acceptable. He told them point blank, the 1136 01:08:44,240 --> 01:08:49,960 Messiah came and you killed him. They didn't like it and they 1137 01:08:49,960 --> 01:08:52,640 gnashed their teeth and they picked up stones to end his 1138 01:08:52,640 --> 01:08:55,359 life. But even then, he would not 1139 01:08:55,359 --> 01:08:58,840 change the gospel to be less offensive. 1140 01:08:58,840 --> 01:09:00,439 He knew it would have cost him his life. 1141 01:09:02,000 --> 01:09:05,160 May we not forget about that. May we not forget about the 1142 01:09:05,160 --> 01:09:09,439 brother of John James who was killed by the sword under King 1143 01:09:09,439 --> 01:09:11,240 Agrippa there in Acts chapter 12. 1144 01:09:11,240 --> 01:09:16,920 Why was he killed? Same message, The gospel he 1145 01:09:16,920 --> 01:09:20,560 preached, the truth that Jesus preached, that Stephen preached. 1146 01:09:22,319 --> 01:09:25,760 He came to the same fate. Why? 1147 01:09:25,760 --> 01:09:28,640 Because the gospel message is so offensive that sometimes those 1148 01:09:28,640 --> 01:09:30,439 who will not accept it want to stop. 1149 01:09:30,439 --> 01:09:37,800 Those who preach it now venture to say this in light of 1150 01:09:37,800 --> 01:09:39,279 Scripture and in light of history. 1151 01:09:40,600 --> 01:09:43,760 A gospel message that doesn't offend is no gospel message at 1152 01:09:43,760 --> 01:09:49,479 all. William Garnol said this. 1153 01:09:49,479 --> 01:09:52,000 The world loves the gospel that lets it sin and go to heaven, 1154 01:09:53,040 --> 01:09:56,200 but the gospel that calls it to holiness and self denial is an 1155 01:09:56,200 --> 01:09:59,120 offense. Isn't that true in our day? 1156 01:10:00,080 --> 01:10:05,160 A gospel that calls people to self denial and away from sin 1157 01:10:05,160 --> 01:10:07,360 and into holiness service to God. 1158 01:10:07,360 --> 01:10:15,920 That gospel is offensive to men. It is an offensive message. 1159 01:10:15,920 --> 01:10:19,200 Therefore, it's not eagerly accepted, but it's also an 1160 01:10:19,200 --> 01:10:22,240 unappealing message. I spoke a moment ago about 1161 01:10:22,240 --> 01:10:27,720 people trying to appeal to men so that the gospel will be 1162 01:10:27,720 --> 01:10:32,000 appealing to them. The true gospel is unappealing. 1163 01:10:32,760 --> 01:10:35,680 It doesn't appeal to our flesh. It can't appeal to our flesh. 1164 01:10:35,680 --> 01:10:38,120 It's not fleshly. It's a spiritual message that 1165 01:10:38,120 --> 01:10:40,760 must be spiritually discerned. Is that not what Paul said? 1166 01:10:41,280 --> 01:10:44,680 The natural man can't understand the things of the Spirit because 1167 01:10:44,680 --> 01:10:48,080 they are spiritually discerned. Many of you would testify there 1168 01:10:48,080 --> 01:10:50,640 were many times in your life before you can't became a 1169 01:10:50,640 --> 01:10:52,560 follower of Christ and surrendered to Him. 1170 01:10:53,400 --> 01:10:54,800 You heard the message of the gospel. 1171 01:10:54,800 --> 01:10:58,480 It meant nothing to you. But on that one particular day 1172 01:10:58,480 --> 01:11:01,200 God used that message and he effectually called you out of 1173 01:11:01,200 --> 01:11:03,760 darkness and in delight through that message and you were truly 1174 01:11:03,760 --> 01:11:07,640 saved forever more. Why is that? 1175 01:11:08,720 --> 01:11:10,320 Because he opened your spiritual. 1176 01:11:10,920 --> 01:11:14,120 Deaf ears to hear the truth. He opened your spiritually blind 1177 01:11:14,120 --> 01:11:17,680 eyes to see the truth. He opened your spiritually dead 1178 01:11:17,760 --> 01:11:24,080 soul to receive the truth. Because the true gospel is not 1179 01:11:24,080 --> 01:11:28,000 eagerly accepted by man, not in their flesh and not on their 1180 01:11:28,000 --> 01:11:31,040 own. Because the true gospel calls us 1181 01:11:31,040 --> 01:11:36,120 to forsake sin and self in the world and to surrender to Christ 1182 01:11:36,120 --> 01:11:39,120 alone. The true gospel is the gospel 1183 01:11:39,920 --> 01:11:43,200 and we see Jesus preach the rich young ruler when he says, I've 1184 01:11:43,200 --> 01:11:45,320 done all these good things and Jesus, I bet you have. 1185 01:11:45,320 --> 01:11:47,760 Now go sell everything that you own and come and follow me there 1186 01:11:47,760 --> 01:11:52,200 in Luke chapter 18. And he went away sad, unsaved, 1187 01:11:52,200 --> 01:11:55,080 because he had great possessions. 1188 01:11:58,480 --> 01:12:03,680 It was unappealing to him. Think of all of his riches that 1189 01:12:03,680 --> 01:12:07,520 he had acquired and inherited just to be given away to someone 1190 01:12:07,520 --> 01:12:10,920 else. He would not obey Christ. 1191 01:12:11,920 --> 01:12:15,080 And a gospel that does not call for obedience to Christ is no 1192 01:12:15,080 --> 01:12:17,760 gospel at all. It is unappealing to the Sinner. 1193 01:12:23,150 --> 01:12:27,630 So what men do is they try to make it appealing, and they err 1194 01:12:27,630 --> 01:12:31,510 dreadfully. Unbelievers love their sin. 1195 01:12:34,350 --> 01:12:39,030 So what we try to do is we try to make the gospel a little 1196 01:12:39,030 --> 01:12:41,670 easier. Swallow, don't we? 1197 01:12:43,000 --> 01:12:47,560 But John in his gospel he said this chapter 3 verse 19. 1198 01:12:47,560 --> 01:12:50,880 This is the verdict. Light is coming to the world, 1199 01:12:50,880 --> 01:12:53,560 that men love darkness instead of the light because their deeds 1200 01:12:53,560 --> 01:12:56,080 were evil. Everyone who does what is evil 1201 01:12:56,080 --> 01:12:58,000 hates the light and will not come into the light for fear 1202 01:12:58,000 --> 01:13:03,560 that his deeds will be exposed. It is the true gospel that 1203 01:13:03,560 --> 01:13:08,400 exposes the deeds of men. I'm so thankful that the true 1204 01:13:08,400 --> 01:13:13,720 gospel was preached to me on that day in my life, exposing my 1205 01:13:13,720 --> 01:13:20,960 sinful deeds, my sinful nature, revealing to me my deep need for 1206 01:13:21,000 --> 01:13:23,760 Jesus Christ to rescue me and to save me. 1207 01:13:25,200 --> 01:13:30,840 It is an unappealing message. It demands repentance. 1208 01:13:31,360 --> 01:13:33,440 Is that not the message Jesus preached? 1209 01:13:33,440 --> 01:13:35,840 Matthew chapter 4 verse 17. You don't think that's the 1210 01:13:35,840 --> 01:13:37,960 message Jesus preached? Go read it, it's pretty simple. 1211 01:13:38,120 --> 01:13:41,120 From that time on, Jesus began to preach repent, for the 1212 01:13:41,120 --> 01:13:45,160 Kingdom of heaven is near. Have you noticed in our day the 1213 01:13:45,280 --> 01:13:47,880 the message of repentance is all but left out of the so-called 1214 01:13:47,880 --> 01:13:50,160 gospel? Why? 1215 01:13:50,160 --> 01:13:51,760 Because repentance is not appealing. 1216 01:13:53,160 --> 01:13:56,440 You mean I have to turn from what I like and what I prefer 1217 01:13:56,440 --> 01:14:02,040 and what I enjoy to have Christ? Yes, it is a part of the gospel 1218 01:14:02,040 --> 01:14:06,200 message. You must repent, you must 1219 01:14:06,200 --> 01:14:09,240 believe. The gospel demands it. 1220 01:14:13,240 --> 01:14:15,160 It rejects our own self righteousness. 1221 01:14:15,160 --> 01:14:18,080 Doesn't the true gospel reject our righteous, our thought Good. 1222 01:14:18,320 --> 01:14:21,160 Remember the Pharisee in the tax collector in Luke chapter 18? 1223 01:14:22,480 --> 01:14:25,040 Oh, isn't that an interesting exhibit of this? 1224 01:14:27,120 --> 01:14:30,400 The Pharisee thanking God that he's not like that filthy tax 1225 01:14:30,400 --> 01:14:33,120 collector, while the filthy tax collectors over there hiding his 1226 01:14:33,120 --> 01:14:36,480 face from God, feels that he's unworthy to even come into God's 1227 01:14:36,480 --> 01:14:38,120 presence. He just. 1228 01:14:38,120 --> 01:14:40,360 Throws his hands to the heaven and he cries out for mercy. 1229 01:14:40,360 --> 01:14:43,360 And you know what Jesus said the the tax collector went away 1230 01:14:43,360 --> 01:14:44,240 justified. Why? 1231 01:14:44,440 --> 01:14:46,840 Because the Pharisee was holding on to his self righteousness, 1232 01:14:46,840 --> 01:14:52,000 his own thought good. And it's not appealing to 1233 01:14:52,000 --> 01:14:55,400 mankind to think that I have to throw away all my thought good. 1234 01:14:55,400 --> 01:14:57,280 I'm a pretty good person. No you're not. 1235 01:14:58,280 --> 01:15:00,880 There are no good people. There are only sinners who are 1236 01:15:00,880 --> 01:15:03,880 in need of a Savior and Christ. Is that Savior? 1237 01:15:03,880 --> 01:15:07,920 Repent and trust in Him today. That is the true gospel. 1238 01:15:07,920 --> 01:15:12,680 That is the gospel that says. It's an unappealing message for 1239 01:15:12,680 --> 01:15:14,400 many reasons that I've mentioned, but I don't want to 1240 01:15:14,400 --> 01:15:17,000 leave this out because it's an exclusive message. 1241 01:15:18,840 --> 01:15:21,240 So I'm appealing the most because it's exclusive. 1242 01:15:22,360 --> 01:15:26,120 Jesus said in John 14, six, I am the way, the truth and the life 1243 01:15:26,120 --> 01:15:28,120 and no one comes to the Father but by me. 1244 01:15:28,120 --> 01:15:30,720 There is no other way. There is no other name given 1245 01:15:30,720 --> 01:15:32,680 under heaven whereby men must be saved. 1246 01:15:33,520 --> 01:15:38,240 And our diversity, equity, inclusion driven society hates 1247 01:15:38,240 --> 01:15:44,600 that message just as they hated it in the day of Paul as he 1248 01:15:44,600 --> 01:15:50,000 wrote to the Galatians. It drives them crazy to think 1249 01:15:50,720 --> 01:15:54,720 that there is but one way and it's not their way. 1250 01:15:55,560 --> 01:15:57,400 But Jesus said this. He said enter through the narrow 1251 01:15:57,400 --> 01:15:59,640 gate and I'm done for. Wide is the gate and broad is 1252 01:15:59,640 --> 01:16:01,720 the road that leads to destruction and many enter 1253 01:16:01,720 --> 01:16:04,800 through it. We often forget about that wide 1254 01:16:04,800 --> 01:16:07,520 gate and that wide Rd. is there's a sign above the door 1255 01:16:07,520 --> 01:16:09,000 that says heaven and has an arrow. 1256 01:16:09,880 --> 01:16:14,120 But that's a lie, because there's only one way He says 1257 01:16:14,120 --> 01:16:17,080 this about it. But small is the gate, and 1258 01:16:17,080 --> 01:16:23,280 narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. 1259 01:16:25,000 --> 01:16:29,080 Only a few find it. Oh, beware, Church, when you see 1260 01:16:31,120 --> 01:16:39,600 multitudes flocking to a so-called gospel, be very leery 1261 01:16:39,600 --> 01:16:43,600 of it, because only if you find it. 1262 01:16:46,760 --> 01:16:52,320 I pray today that God would have mercy on you, that He would 1263 01:16:52,320 --> 01:16:55,680 point you to the true gospel by looking at what the false 1264 01:16:56,080 --> 01:16:59,480 gospels are. I'm looking at what the gospel 1265 01:16:59,480 --> 01:17:02,920 isn't so you can know what the gospel is. 1266 01:17:04,240 --> 01:17:06,760 And that today He would rescue your wretched soul. 1267 01:17:07,920 --> 01:17:11,520 For those of you who are here today who are believers, you're 1268 01:17:11,520 --> 01:17:14,080 saved today because someone preached to you the true gospel 1269 01:17:14,080 --> 01:17:22,080 or you're not saved at all. Be thankful for that and rejoice 1270 01:17:23,280 --> 01:17:27,560 that God sent a messenger with the unadulterated gospel of 1271 01:17:27,680 --> 01:17:30,760 Jesus Christ and he put his life and his neck on the line. 1272 01:17:31,480 --> 01:17:35,320 He risked offending everybody in the room so that you could hear 1273 01:17:35,320 --> 01:17:38,840 the truth and be saved. Be thankful for that. 1274 01:17:41,440 --> 01:17:44,440 Be thankful for those who stand on the true gospel so that 1275 01:17:44,440 --> 01:17:46,880 you're not thrown into confusion, so that your children 1276 01:17:46,880 --> 01:17:51,120 are not thrown into confusion. To the unbeliever, I say this to 1277 01:17:51,120 --> 01:17:56,320 you and looking at what the gospel isn't today, all you have 1278 01:17:56,320 --> 01:18:01,560 heard intermingled through it all the true gospel and what it 1279 01:18:01,560 --> 01:18:04,760 is. And I would encourage you today, 1280 01:18:04,800 --> 01:18:08,520 surrender to Jesus Christ according to the true gospel 1281 01:18:08,520 --> 01:18:12,760 that you have heard. In desperation, cry out to him 1282 01:18:12,760 --> 01:18:15,920 to forgive you of your sin to save you, to cleanse you from 1283 01:18:15,920 --> 01:18:21,720 the wrath that you deserve, the judgment that you deserve, the 1284 01:18:21,720 --> 01:18:26,520 sin that has defiled a holy God. Repent and believe on the Lord 1285 01:18:26,600 --> 01:18:28,520 Jesus Christ today. Let's pray together. 1286 01:18:28,520 --> 01:18:30,040 Father, in the name of Jesus, we come to you. 1287 01:18:30,040 --> 01:18:31,560 Thanking you so much for your word. 1288 01:18:32,920 --> 01:18:35,000 God, I thank you for the patience of your people and 1289 01:18:35,000 --> 01:18:38,360 hearing it out. Enduring sound doctrine. 1290 01:18:39,680 --> 01:18:42,000 But I thank you for the gospel of Jesus Christ, for it is the 1291 01:18:42,000 --> 01:18:44,400 power of God unto salvation for all who believe. 1292 01:18:45,880 --> 01:18:49,920 God, I pray according to Your will and by your mercy and your 1293 01:18:49,920 --> 01:18:53,040 grace that there be 1 here among us today. 1294 01:18:53,040 --> 01:18:55,400 Who does not know you, Lord, that you would have mercy on 1295 01:18:55,400 --> 01:18:58,440 them today and you would draw them out of the darkness of sin 1296 01:18:58,440 --> 01:19:02,520 and draw them to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior today, That they 1297 01:19:02,520 --> 01:19:06,120 would repent, turning from their unbelief and sin turning to you 1298 01:19:06,120 --> 01:19:09,400 and you alone. We know that you are faithful to 1299 01:19:09,400 --> 01:19:11,800 save all who call upon your name. 1300 01:19:13,400 --> 01:19:18,600 But again, we thank you for the gospel, for how you have rescued 1301 01:19:18,600 --> 01:19:23,760 us through the truth of it. We give you glory in Jesus name, 1302 01:19:23,760 --> 01:19:25,040 Amen. Would you stand to your feet 1303 01:19:25,040 --> 01:19:28,880 now? You've been listening to Key 1304 01:19:28,880 --> 01:19:31,600 Life Fellowships Pulpit Ministry podcast. 1305 01:19:32,080 --> 01:19:35,200 Join us each week for more teaching from God's Word.