Don't Mess With The Message Series

DON’T MESS WITH THE MESSAGE

Galatians 1:1-9

S: Gospel

Th: Grace-Full Living

Pr: WE ARE TO PROCLAIM THE GOOD NEWS AS IT IS.

?: How?

KW: Responses

TS: We will find in Galatians 1:1-9, three responses we can have to the good news.

The _____ response one can have to the good news is…

I. DELIGHT (3-5)

II. DESERTION (6-7)

III. DENIAL (7-9)

RMBC 4/30/00 AM

INTRODUCTION:

1. Have you ever thought that you communicated it clearly?

ILL Notebook: Communication (chicken quarters)

On a busy Friday night at a restau-rant where Cliff Johnson had recently started waiting tables, the owner suddenly emerged from the kitchen and handed him money. "We’re in trouble!" he said. "We’re out of quarters, and customers are waiting. Go next door and get me $40 worth."

Cliff ran to the supermarket next door, but a cashier said she wasn’t allowed to give out that many quarters. Deter-mined, he sprinted to a convenience store two blocks away, but it was closed. At a gas station farther down the road, the clerk took pity and gave him the four rolls of quarters. Twenty minutes after he’d left, Cliff handed the coin rolls to his boss.

"Where are the quarters?" he asked.

"Right here," I said breathlessly.

His face sank. "I meant chicken quarters."

Well, the boss thought he had communicated clearly, didn’t he?

But it proved otherwise.

And it is a lesson to us about the nature of communication.

2. Misunderstandings prove we need to check and recheck our message.

TRANSITION:

1. We begin a new series today on the letter the apostle Paul wrote to the churches in Galatia.

We call it Galatians.

It was written, not to one church, but to several churches that Paul and Barnabas had visited on Paul’s first missionary journey to what is now known as southern Turkey.

It was here that Paul discovered how ready the Gentile population was to hear and receive the good news about Jesus.

People were responding positively to the message of grace.

2. Our new series corresponds to our theme for the year: “Grace-Full Living.”

Paul’s message to the churches in Galatia will reinforce two purposes we have in mind for you this year.

2.1 Our first purpose is to reinforce the essence of the gospel.

Yes, it is something that you should already know.

No, I am not trying to bore you.

But on the other hand, it is so important, it is so essential to our faith and to who we are, we can never be found neglecting it.

Besides, the gospel should never cease to thrill us.

We should never be found lacking in the celebration of where we have been and where we are now.

The gospel is a message of grace.

We are here today because of amazing grace!

2.2 Our second purpose is to advocate a lifestyle characterized by grace.

Since we have been changed by grace, it calls for a different way of living.

We walk a path of grace and we do it under the power of the Holy Spirit.

Now, there is an art to walking in the Spirit.

It is an art we must master, for it is the true path of faith.

When we walk this path, we will be characterized by "grace-full living."

Our study of Galatians these next several months will help us in these matters.

Now…

3. The opening verses of Galatians establish the authority behind the person and writings of Paul (1-2).

Paul, an apostle—sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead—and all the brothers with me…

Paul identifies himself as an apostle.

You may not believe this, but I could stop here and talk about the significance of Paul’s self-identification as an apostle for the next twenty minutes.

But as with all of our future study of Galatians, I will not be giving attention to every single detail and every nuance.

But let me point out one point of significance of the title of apostle.

The word meant that someone was sent as an agent or representative or an ambassador.

And this is certainly how Paul views himself.

He has been sent by Christ to be His agent, representative and ambassador.

This is a point that we accept today.

When you read Galatians this morning, you are hearing Christ’s appointed representative.

You are hearing Christ.

Paul, though, is making the point for a reason.

He is telling the believers in Galatia that he is not to be classed with those who come with letters of recommendation from men.

He was not made an apostle by any council or church.

He was made an apostle by a personal encounter with Jesus.

He knew that he had a unique place in redemptive history.