Untitled Sermon (3)

INTRODUCTION

SCRIPTURE: Brothers, I entreat you, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You did me no wrong. You know it was because of bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first, and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus. What then has become of your blessedness? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me. Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth? They make much of you, but for no GOOD purpose. They want to shut you out that you may make much of them. It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose, and not only when I am present with you, my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you! I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone for I am perplexed about you.

STORY:

PROPOSITION: God directs our STEPS and calls us to tell the TRUTH when it’s hard.

INTERROGATIVE:

TRANSITION:

POINT 1: Live out your FAITH

Paul didn’t expect to come to Galatia and preach the gospel to them, but while he was there he made sure that he shared the gospel with them. He said to become as I am for I also have become as you are. He lived among the people and became like them so that he might win them to Christ. He never switched up his message but he did switch up his method depending on the culture and where he was. Gospel Ministry is culturally flexible. When you are energized by the gospel you are flexible and adaptable with EVERYTHING apart from the gospel.

One large mark of a legalistic, works-righteous person is someone who is inflexible, and obsessed with the details. They come in saying act “like us” and dress “like us”. Gospel ministry is being in CLOSE PROXIMITY with others. When you share the gospel with others you should be sharing your LIFE with them also. You should be eating with them, playing with them, talking, walking, and doing LIFE with them. Gospel ministers do LIFE with others.

Gospel ministry is also TRANSPARENT. Our words are not sufficient for persuading others about the truth of Christ. People want to SEE it lived out not just words coming out of your MOUTH. They want to see whether Christ is real and how the good news of Jesus affects a day-to-day human life. Generally we find faith mainly through relationships with joyful, flawed but honest, loving christians, not through arguments, info, and books.

Gospel ministry looks for opportunities in HARDSHIP. Problems become POSSIBILITIES. Paul never intended to be in Galatia but he came there in a detour because of an illness. Which leads to our next point.

POINT 2: Suffer with PURPOSE

This is something many of you guys are facing right now. Paul never planned to go to Galatia, but because of his suffering he ended up there. Romans 8:28 says “in all things (pleasant or painful) God works for the good of those who love him”. SO in that case hundreds of lives were changed by the gospel because God allowed a painful illness to overtake Paul. And its another example of how God changed well-laid plans in order to bring enormous good even though it came through suffering. Some of our greatest lessons we learn in life are through the suffering we experience on earth.

God doesn’t promise to bless Christians by REMOVING suffering, but to bless Christians THROUGH suffering. We make plans but God orders our steps. Paul talks about in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 that he had a thorn that God would not remove despite his prayers to do so. but that thorn was meant for good because it has humbled him and has strengthened him in Christ’s strength. The relentless pain and sense of weakness has taken Paul to a deeper dependence on and vision of the sufficiency of grace.

Suffering can be a PIVOT POINT in your life to bring you closer to God.

POINT 3:Gospel over GREED

Paul was more interested in the Galatians HOLINESS than their HAPPINESS. He wanted to tell them the truth more than he wanted to keep them happy. He asked if he had become their enemy now because he wants to tell them the truth. Sometimes people don’t act right when they are called out for something they know they have done wrong. Sometimes it doesn’t go the way you thought it would when you confront someone about the hurtful things they are doing.

However, Paul makes it apparent that the type of ministry that the Judaizers were doing was false ministry. They were making much of the Galatians FOR NO GOOD PURPOSE. They were doing it for the wrong reasons so that they might make them slaves to the law and in turn make much of their captors. Paul wanted to make much of Christ, not himself. All the glory was to God and God alone. The others that were tricking the Galatians had the wrong motives. A gospel ministry doesn’t need FANS but seek to make FOLLOWERS of Christ.

The gospel is the only thing that brings people to Christ-dependence, shapes people in Christ-likeness, and provokes people to Christ-praise.

APPLICATION:

Do you ever find it appealing to have people relying on you in some way?

Do you need to surrender to Jesus tonight?