Untitled Sermon

We are all prone to forget. I am guilty of this. I forget everything that I’m supposed to remember and I forget to do what is on my list. But the real danger is when I forget the gospel truth. When I forget that I’m a beloved son of God. When I forget that Jesus died not just so I could be forgiven but reconciled and made free. When I forget what Jesus did for me and the glory of God moves the do’s to done when it comes to pleasing the Father. And I forget these things all the time.

We need to remember the truth that the gospel changes everything. If we want to find peace in this world, we need to be agents of the gospel. If we want to find unity despite our differences, we need to proclaim the truth of Jesus Christ. So, let me ask you, will you remember to keep the main thing the main thing? Will you remember that one thing that changes everything? Will you remember that the gospel tells us that we are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone for the glory of God alone?

Ligon Duncan, a pastor from Mississippi, tweeted this week, “People don’t stop believing truth that they are living out. They stop believing truth that they are no longer living, or pretended to live, or never lived.” 3 This is the truth of Paul’s letter to the Galatians. Don’t forget the truth and don’t stop believing the truth in order that you may live out the truth and have an oversized influence on the world around you.

So, let me ask you, will you remember to keep the main thing the main thing? Will you remember that one thing that changes everything? Will you remember that the gospel tells us that we are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone for the glory of God alone?

The way we do this is simple - we preach the gospel to ourselves and to others every moment of every day. The gospel unlocks the answer to every question because every question finds its “yes” in Jesus. As one commentator writes, “Where the gospel is not preached, law and the flesh rush to fill the void. But as the gospel is preached and received in faith, the barriers to true fellowship—i.e., guilt, shame, and fear—are broken afresh. The gospel reveals the new creation it creates. Nothing else can.” 4

1 Wilson, T. (2013). Galatians: Gospel-Rooted Living. (R. K. Hughes, Ed.) (pp. 226–227). Wheaton, IL: Crossway.

2 Sproul, R. C. (Ed.). (2015). The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version (2015 Edition) (p. 2084). Orlando, FL: Reformation Trust.

3 Duncan, L. (2018). Twitter. [online] Twitter.com. Available at: https://twitter.com/LigonDuncan/status/1025034776112254976 [Accessed 2 Aug. 2018].

4 Bush, D., & Due, N. (2015). Live in Liberty: The Spiritual Message of Galatians (pp. 237–238). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press