ONE GOSPEL…CASE CLOSED

Good morning Church!!

BIBLES OUT…GALATIANS 2 and ACTS 15.

Galatians is the book right after 2 Corinthians

Acts 5th book, right after John

Any body here still go to the movies???

One of my favorite parts is the TRAILERS

The movie trailer gives you an idea of what the movie is about by giving you bits and pieces of the story.

What we are going to read about today in GALATIANS 2 is like a trailer for an event that happened in Acts 15.

Court room movies

A few good men (Movie)

“YOU CANT HANDLE THE TRUTH!”

PAUL GOING TO SHOW US HOW HE PUT THE ONE TRUE GOSPEL OF… JESUS PERIOD… ON TRIAL…

He put it up for questioning…

AND WE ARE GOING TO SEE TODAY THAT IT WITHSTOOD THE TEST AND IS TRUTH

A trial that we are speaking of… came to be know as the …

The Jerusalem Council

(QUICK GALATIANS RECAP)

-Paul writing to the churches in Galatia (Turkey)

-Churches planted, Judaizers come in, preaching Jesus plus the Law

-Paul is refuting it…

The final show down is this Jerusalem Council

Court room trials have a docket…

The docket usually tells us who is in the court room and why we are here…the topic being argued…

The bible tells us that the EXPERT WITNESSES in the room for this council are:

-THE APOSTLES (James, Peter, John) More? (Men who walked with Jesus)

-Paul, Barnabas, Titus (Preaching gospel to the gentiles)

-A bunch of Pharisees and Judaizers

QUESTION ON THE DOCKET:

Must you be circumcised to be saved? (Must you be in good standing with the Law)

READ V1-2

Paul, Barnabas, and Titus heading up to Jerusalem…to do what?

To show them all the evidence of the one true gospel…

The Evidence (v.1-2)

What we just read in Galatians 2 was the trailer..Lets get the full

Acts 15:1–5.

Remember its been 14 years since Paul recieved the gospel himself…So his ministry is 14 years old!!!

Describing in detail…declared all that God had done (v3-4)

This is the same evidence that Paul has given the people in Galatia in this letter…

Over the last 2 weeks we have seen 3 key pieces of evidence for this Jesus period gospel…

Exhibit A: The Gospel of Jesus Proclaimed (Not appointed by man, but by by Jesus Christ)

Exhibit B: The Gospel from Jesus Himself

Exhibit C: Paul’s Testimony

Paul is sharing all that he has seen done through the Gospel to the Gentiles…WITHOUT THE LAW

Paul is laying out all He has seen…

But next he shows them…Just incase you don’t believe me..I have brought the final piece of Evidence with me…

READ v3-5

The Final Piece (v.3-5)

Exhibit D: Titus, Living Proof

Titus:

-Full blooded Greek (unlike Timothy who was half Jew)

-Led to saving faith in Jesus by Paul

-Such a devout follower that Paul left him in Corinth to teach and later they reunited and Titus was with Paul through his imprisonment…

-Hand delivered many of the epistles we have today…

-Was sent all over the region spreading the Gospel of Jesus…

-So TITUS is a prime example of a BORN AGAIN Gentile Christ follower…

He is that final piece of evidence…

Paul’s defense is this…look at Titus…here is a saved man of God…born again…and we did not circumcise him even to pander to the Jewish leaders!!!

Because the one true JESUS PERIOD GOSPEL is the only TRUE GOSPEL…

As Paul is presenting this, One of the expert witnesses, The Apostle Peter hears the truth and confirms…

READ

Acts 15:6-11.

Peter says…

God bore witness to the Gentiles…

God knows the heart…

God gave them the Holy Spirit..just as he did us…

Why are you trying to place the yoke of slavery over them that not even we can bear???

We are all one under Jesus…both Jew and Gentile…SAVED BY FAITH ALONE…

All that Paul is presenting to the council is truth and they are hearing it as truth…

So Now it is time for the final ruling

READ Gal 2:6-10.

The Final Ruling (v.6-10)

Acts 15:12-19.

ONE GOSPEL ACCEPTED!

JAMES: LEADER OF THE FIRST CHURCH

BY FAITH ALONE, IN CHRIST ALONE, BY HIS GRACE ALONE!!!

Confirmed by the Word of God (Amos 9) in verse 16-18

verse 18 known from of old…

KJV says it better “Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world”

THIS WAS ALL PART OF THE PLAN!!!!!

The law was set upon the people by the LORD to show their need for a savior…

The Lord by His loving grace and mercy, who loves us so much that He provided the savior

God came down in the flesh and gave Himself up for us…

TO FULFILL THE LAW…THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE…THE PROPITIATION FOR OUR SIN…THE CIRCUMCISION OF THE HEART NOT OF THE FLESH…

SO THAT WE ARE NO LONGER RESPONSIBLE FOR SOMETHING WE ARE NOT CAPABLE OF DOING ON OUR OWN

CASE CLOSED!!!

WHY DOES THIS MATTER???

Your probably thinking…OK WE GET IT!!!…THERE IS ONE GOSPEL

What we have seen over the last 3 weeks is how to defend your faith…

1 Peter 3:15 “but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,”

When you are out sharing the gospel…sharing the truth…

And someone asks “how do you know that is truth”

YOU CAN TURN THEM TO THE EVIDENCE IN THE WORD!!!

Paul has just equipped us…

HE PUT THE ONE TRUE GOSPEL ON TRIAL…TO BE PROVED WRONG AND IT HELD STRONG

BECAUSE IT IS TRUTH!!!!

We are all called to go out and proclaim Jesus as Christ…correct???

Well what happens when someone questions you??? Asks you why????

Asks you how do you know the gospel is true and how do you know Jesus is really God?? And how do you know there is only one gospel???

DON’T FREEZE UP AND STUTTER…AND DON’T JUST SAY WELL ITS IN THE BIBLE…

SHOW THEM!!!!

SHOW THEM HOW THIS WAS ALL APART OF GODS PLAN!!!

SHOW THEM THE EVIDENCE!!!

You have all the evidence at your finger tips…

And it is confirmed by the men who saw Jesus with their own eyes and touched Him with their hands!!!

Paul is telling the Christ followers in Galatia…

YOU HAVE ALL THE FACTS…THEIR IS ONE GOSPEL…CASE CLOSED

WE SPENT THE LAST 3 WEEKS…THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION IN YOUR LIFE!!!

And over the next few weeks, we will see how this one gospel effects our lives and how we live them…

PRAY!