Believe and Live

Good morning again, Ambassadors! It’s a joy to be with you again this Sunday as we complete a 2 week study on the Law and the Gospel. Last week, we looked at the book of Galatians, how Paul was concerned for the churches there, that they had become enslaved by the law. They were being influenced and confused by false teachers, people proclaiming they needed circumcision and other Old Covenant practices to be right with God. In our own lives, we tend to attempt to achieve “perfection” or earn our standing before the Lord, seeking to deserve the grace He gives us. Just like the people in the churches in Galatia, we have no need of adding anything else to the grace of God for our redemption. We are completely and fully forgiven by Him at His grace and by His will - requiring nothing of us. We simply believe as we are regenerated into new life, receiving eternal hope and relationship with God.

Where do we often make the mistake of mixing the law and the gospel? Where do we go wrong? I think it’s all rooted in guilt. Guilt is a powerful emotion that can move us to do things contrary to our desires and believe things contrary to the truth. Guilt was an emotion that I felt often as a child. I grew up in very strict circles, mainly in the Christian schools that I attended. The gospel in these places was a muddled mess that focused on the right actions for God and what we could do for God, not the redemptive forgiveness and grace of God. But the guilt I experienced went even further beyond that. Guilt can often be tied to empathy; whether that’s a good thing is up for debate. But I can recall the scores of times that I would be out with my dad in one of his many Ford trucks. Often we would go “galavanting” as he liked to call it on Saturday mornings, going to various places he liked to go that my mom couldn’t stand. We would run errands or just go for a drive. If you knew my parents, you knew they were always good for a stop at a convenience store. Diet pepsi and a treat for my dad was always on the dock; either that or a breakfast sandwich from Burger King. Dad would always ask what I would like, and many of the times I would say nothing, or no thank you, all the while being hungry or thirsty.

Why would I lie to my dad about what I would like when he offered to bless? I can remember a few times where he could tell I was hungry or thirsty and got upset that I wasn’t being straight with him (rightfully so). But, why would I hide it from him? Simply, guilt. I often felt like a burden to my family. We were not well off, and I knew this. We rented the majority of my life, my dad worked multiple jobs to pay for college in his 30s, my mom worked various part-time and full-time jobs so they could send me to Christian school and provide for us. I always felt a sense of empathetic guilt that I could somehow make a difference by asking for less from them and make it easier on them.

This was an important lesson for me as I got older. I realized my inability to be straight with my Dad was a hindrance to our relationship. I never fully trusted that his offer was for real and that I wasn’t the burden on them, but the joyful responsibility. They loved me and wanted to provide good things for me - that’s why they worked hard.

God gave us His Son, Jesus, Who explained in that He came to give life more abundant to us. He poured out the grace of redemption on those who would believe, not so they would earn the grace, but so that they would take it and use that grace for His glory the good of the kingdom.

The title of the message this morning is “Believe and Live.” As we remember the joy of being perfected in Christ, I want to take us back to the simplicity of the gospel and the call on all of us to follow the law of faith that makes us righteous. Before we go back to the book of Galatians, I’d like to start in , which has my favorite explanation of what the gospel is. Let’s read together

Titus 3:4–7 ESV

4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Break down the text

As we reflect on this text the first step towards living a fulfilled life free from the pressure of perfection is that we must...

Believe the Gospel

Titus 3:4–7 ESV

4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

This is a simple thing, but for so many of us we have forgotten the truth of this. We forget because the connection of what we know in our head and what we believe in our heart is so often muddled. We allow our external influences to impact what we believe about God and what God says He believes about us. We pull our thoughts from the culture instead of the Creator. Paul was worried about this for the Churches in Galatia as he reflects here in chapter 1, very quickly after his introduction.

Galatians 1:6–8 ESV

6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.

Galatians 1:

Paul isn’t happy! He’s worried. He normally writes longer introductions or situation reports, but there is clearly a major concern to be addressed. The Judaizers and legalists are trying to claim the hearts of the people of Galatia with rules and the law, but as we saw last week, Christ has fulfilled the law already and we no longer live under it. We live under the law of faith and believe in the finished work of Christ for our salvation. Have you placed your full trust in Christ for your salvation, or are you still trying to figure out how you can play a part, or how you can make an impact? Just as Paul was teaching the tell you this morning that you can do nothing to contribute to your salvation except for the sin that made it necessary. You and I are completely broken on our own and unable to be like God. We are called to simply believe the good news of Christ’s death and resurrection and live.

If we believe the gospel, it then behooves us to begin to look like it and...

Live the Gospel

Living the gospel is not earning it, it’s being transformed by it. It’s allowing God to change us from being self-centered to God-centered. It is the investment of the Holy Spirit in our hearts that creates in us compassion, honesty, integrity, and all the characteristics we see in chapter 5, called the Fruit of the Spirit.

What’s the point in believing something if it doesn’t change how we live? What’s the point in being a millionaire if you’re unable to enjoy the wealth? As followers of Christ, we have been given a great opportunity to enjoy spiritual blessing and to transcend the difficulties of life by knowing we have a hope and a future with God. We have been blessed with eternal joy and would be foolish to waste it on sinful desires or on trying to earn it. We see that investment in living like God desires creates a better world around us, a world that God created and sustains. Let’s reflect on this in Galatians 6.

Galatians 6:7–10 ESV

7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. 10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

Galatians 6:7-10

Now this is the logical next step of faith. We take the joy of Christ and turn it into energy of doing good in our lives and in the lives of other people. We express generosity, provide a helping hand, pray for one another, comfort each other, encourage each other, share in our joys and sorrows. What a beautiful community we would have if we did all of these things in honesty and earnest. How would our church, our streets, our families look different if we lived what we believed? How would your team at work react to the intentional way of living described here, where we are seeking out opportunities to bless and do good, instead of trying to get ahead?

What would your neighbors say as they see you express your altruism and selflessness for no expected return or reciprocation? How would that make an impact on them? What impact would it make on you? How would that change your walk with God?

Living the gospel also means living with God! If we sow time with God, we’ll reap a Godly mindset. Have you ever spent time with family members or friends after being away for a while? Do you notice yourself picking up habits you seemed to have dropped? My wife always knows when I’ve been listening to Boston sports radio because certain words I say start to come out differently than normal.

Maybe if we spend more time with God, people will notice the change in our words or mannerisms, maybe that will be a noticeable change in how we operate. It can be the first way in which we...

Proclaim the Gospel

This is the final logical step in living under the law of faith. We believe, live, and then proclaim. The best way to proclaim the gospel is to believe and live. But if we are doing that, telling the gospel to others and giving away freely the story of Christ is the most loving thing we can do!