We Never Graduate Beyond the Gospel...We only grow deeper into the Gospel by faith

Galatians 3:1–5 CSB

1 You foolish Galatians! Who has cast a spell on you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? 2 I only want to learn this from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by believing what you heard? 3 Are you so foolish? After beginning by the Spirit, are you now finishing by the flesh? 4 Did you experience so much for nothing—if in fact it was for nothing? 5 So then, does God give you the Spirit and work miracles among you by your doing the works of the law? Or is it by believing what you heard—

The All too Common Problem:

What was causing Paul so much frustration? There’s only one time in all of Paul’s writings where he uses language like what we find here in Galatians. One way to translate this verse is this, “Galatians…you idiots...” Theres a hint of sarcasm in Paul’s language…but it’s mainly frustration.

They weren't taking out what they didn't like about Christianity. They weren't being like Thomas Jefferson who cut out parts of the scripture that made him feel uncomfortable. Instead they were making additions to their Christianity, and it drives Paul crazy. These people loved Jesus. They thought what Jesus did on the cross was well and good. They would have even thought it was necessary. They just believed that their Christianity would be more serious and authentic by adding the Law of Moses alongside the Christ’s work.According to their understanding, Jesus was great…He just wasn't enough, His work was incomplete. It was Jesus plus a serious religious resume.

And this is what Paul knew…Paul knew that an incomplete Jesus is no Jesus at all.

Galatians 2:21 CSB

21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing.

Paul understood that a Christianity that teaches that Jesus was insufficient is a worthless religion.

So I cant help but imagine that these people in Galatia would fit in so well with people who grow up in the Bible Belt South. So many “Christians” grew up in churches here in the Bible Belt treating Jesus as a supplement to spirituality that was centered around self-improvement. Bible Belt Christianity is about being a better rule follower. If you follow the rules, then God loves you—but if you break the rules you better get right…or else...

Let me tell you what we are about here at Heucks…Let me tell you what we are offering you here. But let me start by telling you what we aren't offering. We aren't offering you a self-improvement plan on your already better than average life. We aren't here to teach your kids morality or to give them some kind of vaccine to help them navigate their teenage years. We are here to make the real Jesus known. We want you to know Jesus.

We are here because we believe that Jesus has made himself avaliable to you this morning…but if you want him, you gotta know that he only comes as a total package. You cant just take the parts of him that you like and add him into your agenda. You cant just make him your additive to make your life a little bit better. Jesus will never be your supplement but he will be your savior…if you will let him.

You see the truth is that it is far too easy for us to be blind to the gospel without ever realizing it like the Galatians...

If you have ever found yourself feeling to ashamed of you sin be loved by God…

If we believe that God is disappointed with us…(In Christ…God is proud of u…Have you ever thought about this…the day you walk into Heaven God will be more proud of you being there than you will be? In Christ....when you walk into Heaven God will be more happy to see you than you are to see Him...)

If we find ourselves dwelling more on our successes or failures than on the success of Christ…

If we pay more attention to CNN or Fox News than we do to the hope we have in Jesus…

If we allow the current state of the world or nation to affect our joy…

When we harbor bitterness toward those whom for offended us…

When we get impatient with our spouses, kids, family, or friends…

If we get overly anxious over the number in our bank account, the grade we made on the last test, or how many likes we’ve got on social media…

You cant have Jesus unless you are willing to give all of you and receive all of him.

This is the problem of hypocrisy in the bible belt south. We got a lot of Chistians who have given part of themselves to Jesus and only received part of Jesus. But this is no Jesus at all. And here at Heucks, this morning, we arent offering you a bobble-headed version of Jesus that you can just put on your dashboard. Were offering you the full metal Jacket deal of Jesus.

The real Jesus:

The Sin-Slaying, Devil Dominating, Rock and Redeemer...

He is the Justifying Judge, the Grave Robbing, Death Defying, Undefeated...Life Transforming Savior of the World.

That’s the Jesus we offer. Nothing less than all-in devotion and surrender to him will do. It’s impossible to encounter this Jesus and not be totally transformed from the inside out…

And this is exactly what Paul says next:

When a person puts their faith in Jesus…something absolutely amazing happens

Galatians 3:2–3 CSB

2 I only want to learn this from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by believing what you heard? 3 Are you so foolish? After beginning by the Spirit, are you now finishing by the flesh?

Paul asks the Galatians this question…when you got saved and the Spirit came and entered into your life…did that happen by what you did or simply by believing in the truth of the gospel that you heard?

It’s a hypothetical question:

Paul knows that the Galatians, before they trusted in the gospel were Pagan Gentiles…they did not obey any of the laws…but when they trust in Christ…God saved them. And the evidence of their salvation was the fact that the Spirit of God came and transformed them from the inside out. They were totally transformed…not by works of the law…but simply by faith in the gospel that they had heard.

You see…what this means is that when we are saved…we dont climb our way up to God…we dont ascend to him…this is what all the world religions teach...

Christianity teaches that God works His way down to us through the person of the Holy Spirit…and not just from the outside. He gets in on the inside. Christianity is an inside job. God does a miracle at conversion. He takes a human heart that is dead in sin and he performs a miracle…he breaths life. He makes our hearts his home…by faith…not by works.

Ephesians 2:1–5 ESV

1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—

And verse 3 is even better…verse 3 is a promise that this miracle of heart transformation never stops being a work of the Spirit of God. “Are you so foolish? After beginning by the Spirit, are you now finishing by the flesh?”

Christianity from beginning to end is a message of faith in the truth of the gospel…We never graduate from the gospel message. Why? Because the same Gospel that Saves us, is the same gospel that sanctifies us…we are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone…and we grow deeper into Christ’s likeness by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.

It is impossible to encounter Jesus…and not be transformed…so here is my question for you…have you been transformed by the truth of the Gospel? Have you had a life altering, mind blowing, sin melting, Spirit indwelling encounter with the God of Grace this morning?

If not…today…Jesus is avaliable to you…He wont be your supplement to your already better than average life this morning…but he will be your savior if you will believe. The Spirit will start his work in you today by faith this morning if you will believe…come to Him...

And this morning…are you tempted to move beyond the gospel? This morning I want you to think back to your conversion…when you came to faith in Jesus…it wasnt because of your efforts…it was actually in-spite of them. And I want you to hear these words… “God is going to complete his work in you.” But he isnt going to do it through self effort and self improvement…he is going to do it through surrendering to His Spirit through the power of the gospel. So surrender this morning. Believe the Gospel once again…and by faith…let’s let the Spirit have his way in our lives.

I want to give you a next step that I think will help us as we continue to become people who more and more grow deeper into the truth of the gospel. There is a prayer that I want us to begin praying over ourselves and our church this week: Its called the gospel prayer:

“In Christ, there is nothing I could do to make you love me more; nothing I have done that makes you love me less.”

That is a holy spirit empowered prayer...