The Gospel From God

Introduction

(Pray to Start)

Recap Series

Why do we need to look at the gospel

we do not graduate from the gospel

Week 1 - What is the gospel…

it is the plan of God for salvation

it is his desire that we would be saved

Week 2 - There is only one gospel

so easy it becomes a stumbling block for many

So easy that people try to add to it

add to it to praise themselves, but the Gospel gives us motivation to praise God

Today - The Gospel is From God

Paul is not a flowery guy…

he does not dress things up and try to influence his readers by an emotional pull

instead he lays out the facts and is brutally honest about things

I really like that guy

Today’s passage is in the middle of his defense of the gospel that he had preached to the Galatians when he was with them

the gospel that men from Jerusalem came in to change

the gospel that the Galatians began to turn from when they heard it

Are you so foolish? After beginning by the Spirit, are you now finishing by the flesh?

3 Are you so foolish? After beginning by the Spirit, are you now finishing by the flesh?

For I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel preached by me is not of human origin. 12 For I did not receive it from a human source and I was not taught it, but it came by a revelation of Jesus Christ.

11 For I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel preached by me is not of human origin. 12 For I did not receive it from a human source and I was not taught it, but it came by a revelation of Jesus Christ.

The Gospel Preached

I hate wasting time… it is so precious hate to waste any of it

we could have a discussion on what is actually “wasting time”

Jimmy when baseball practice started…

doing something that didn’t turn out like you thought

doing something, only to have somebody come behind you and do it differently, cancelling out what you had done.

This is where Paul was, though he was not going to allow that time to be wasted, he was going to defend the gospel that he preached to the Galatians…

For I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel preached by me is not of human origin.

Contradicting Paul’s preaching question Paul’s calling

May seem a little harsh… an over reaction.

Paul, an apostle—not from men or by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead

Paul, an apostle—not from men or by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead

Paul starts the letter defending his calling… if you doubt the grace that he preached, you doubt the one that told him to preach it

unless we believe that there are false teachers out there that are sent by God to try and confuse us

What would that say about God,

that he is a God of confusion…

That he is a God of contradiction

that he is a God of contradiction…

Contradicting Paul’s preaching contradicts God’s Gospel

If God called Paul to preach this gospel (we will look at that calling later)then to add to it, or contradict his preaching would be to contradict God

this is what we do when we add to the gospel as these people were trying to do

we contradict God!

this is not a good place to be...

God why is my life so hard… I have done all of these things to gain your approval

Why would we want to… the gospel, the grace that is offered through Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection should be something that we want to run to!

Present the Gospel

God asked you to repent and follow him… that is the gospel

So Paul, in defending the calling that he has, the Gospel that he preaches is also defending the Lord God himself

That is why Paul gets as firery as he does… not that he is being contradicted, but they are contradicting God

The Gospel Created

I do not consider myself a creative person

There are some that think that I create my illustrations… I have to tell them no, my family really is like a sitcom

Heather has threatened to get me the shirt that says, “Caution! Anything said to me can and will be used in a sermon illustration.”

We looked last week at why some of them would want to change the gospel… you can go back and listen.

But here, Paul defends where the gospel came from… as to defend the authenticity.

For I did not receive it from a human source and I was not taught it, but it came by a revelation of Jesus Christ.

If Paul learns this gospel from others, doubt enters in that Paul simply just doesn’t understand what he has been taught

Gospel created by man has no power

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek.

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel,,ab because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek.

I guess to say that it has no power would be wrong… it has the power to enslave you to sin, the sin that the true gospel frees us from!

But it has no power for salvation, no power of sin and darkness that we all face

Created by man celebrates man

works salvation - all of mans ways celebrate ourselves

I know that we have been on this… but there is a reason that God talks about this so much… we struggle with it

we love ourselves a lot… that is why we are to love others as we love ourselves

we think we are good, above others, that God needs us

which we actually like… we would prefer

we like credit for a job done, we like to hear that we have done well

that is what our gospel would be… one where we set the bar, of course where we know that we would reach it, and then celebrate exceeding it

we know that some would not be there, but we definitely would

Ultimately, it would be one where we work our way to God

what the word religion means....

something that can never be done

created by man is evil, because we are evil

nobody questioned that while I was growing up… or now, wondering if I was perfect, I bet the same could be said of you

left to ourselves, we do not come up with pure righteous things…

Only God can do that…

Our gospel not created by men, men hate it

This is our message… that all people, men or woman, black, white brown or yellow, all people are created in the image of God, that all are sinful and that all can be saved by confessing that Jesus is Lord and that he took our sin upon himself on the cross, that he died and raised from the dead three days later. For all can be saved...

Why would this be so controversial.... why would anyone want to persecute that message, yet they do!

The Gospel Revealed

my parents told me, my Sunday school teacher told me, a Pastor told you

Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who comes from God, so that we may understand what has been freely given to us by God.

12 Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who comes from God, so that we may understand what has been freely given to us by God.

The Gospel Revealed

How you learn things are important

last week discipleship class - Paul tells timothy to remember where he learned the Gospel

look at their lives, what they taught

For I did not receive it from a human source and I was not taught it, but it came by a revelation of Jesus Christ.

How was gospel given to Paul (history of what happened in Acts)

Damascus Road

Now Saul was still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord. He went to the high priest 2 and requested letters from him to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any men or women who belonged to the Way, he might bring them as prisoners to Jerusalem. 3 As he traveled and was nearing Damascus, a light from heaven suddenly flashed around him. 4 Falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” 5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul said. “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting,” he replied. 6 “But get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

Now Saul was still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord. He went to the high priest 2 and requested letters from him to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any men or women who belonged to the Way, he might bring them as prisoners to Jerusalem. 3 As he traveled and was nearing Damascus, a light from heaven suddenly flashed around him. 4 Falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”

5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul said.

So Jesus revealed himself to Paul in a vision… Paul, who was called Saul at this time, referred to Him as Lord

“I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting,” he replied. 6 “But get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

Studying Scripture after damascus road

And after taking some food, he regained his strength. Saul was with the disciples in Damascus for some time. 20 Immediately he began proclaiming Jesus in the synagogues: “He is the Son of God.”

19 And after taking some food, he regained his strength. Saul was with the disciples in Damascus for some time. 20 Immediately he began proclaiming Jesus in the synagogues: “He is the Son of God.”

But when God, who from my mother’s womb set me apart and called me by his grace, was pleased 16 to reveal his Son in me, so that I could preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone. 17 I did not go up to Jerusalem to those who had become apostles before me; instead I went to Arabia and came back to Damascus.

SAUL PROCLAIMING THE MESSIAH

Paul went and studied the scriptures… the OT to learn about the gospel

15 But when God, who from my mother’s womb set me apart and called me by his grace, was pleased 16 to reveal his Son in me, so that I could preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone. 17 I did not go up to Jerusalem to those who had become apostles before me; instead I went to Arabia and came back to Damascus.

Saul was with the disciples in Damascus for some time. 20 Immediately he began proclaiming Jesus in the synagogues: “He is the Son of God.”

you might think that doesn’t make sense… but all scripture points to Jesus

illustration of Spurgeon story

young preacher asked about his first sermon… factually correct, but nothing about Jesus… Jesus wasn’t in that passage… all roads lead to London, All scripture points to Jesus.

Do we receive by man today, No…

No…

Reading God’s Word - is a major way that God speaks to us.

Reading God’s Word - is a major way that God speaks to us.

when we are saved, the spirit comes to dwell inside you, he will speak to you through the scriptures

this is why so many believers say, “I am reading the Bible now in a way I never have…”

this isn’t simply on how to be saved, but about who God is, what God desires and how we should follow him

Listening to preaching and teaching from scripture

not Christian lite… I am not talking about people who give messages about God, but from God and his word.

give example about the difference

Conclude with this thought… Adds responsibility to us...

Study to know the true gospel

If you want to know God more, do your part, read his word

Study to Share the true gospel

we must share the gospel, not our opinions…