You Can't Make This Stuff Up

Have you ever heard a story… a TRUE story… with such outlandish details that it makes you stop and think “This sounds too good to be true?”

Perhaps it’s a story that is prefaced with the line, “you can’t make this stuff up” meaning the details are so extraordinary that it defies our creative thinking or imagination. Both of these lines are said or thought when the story is somewhat… hard to believe.

I’ve heard a LOT of crazy stories in my lifetime.

If you’re a Duck Dynasty fan, then you know Si (Silas) Robertson is the master of telling “true” stories with a little creative splash added to them. He gained a huge following due to his antics in the show and due to his crusty ice tea glass.

If you’re a fan of watching the infomercials that air mostly in the middle of the night, then you are familiar with the phrase “but wait… there’s more” indicating that this “good deal” is about to get even gooder! They double the offer or throw in an extra accessory or hook you up with some amazing discount… just pay the additional “processing and handling.”

What about current events? All week I have been seeing images of how people are responding to the fuel shortage on the east coast. Huge lines at gas stations as people are frantically trying to fuel up their vehicles. But the most shocking images with the tag line “You can’t make this stuff up people” show individuals filling up plastic totes and… wait for it… plastic bags as they attempt to hoard us as much fuel as they can. One person called it Toilet paper crisis 2.0!

In ministry, several years back we were talking about recent ministry events with family… some good and some… not so good - struggles we were trying to help people through. And one of our family members stood up and exclaimed “you guys are making this up. There is no way all of this could be happening in ministry.” Every point was true… it was difficult for her to fathom how this could be.

Let’s take that trail for a moment… let’s talk about the more difficult stories that that we might encounter. These might be stories we hear of or witness from a distance. They might be stories we live in and… we might even be one of the main characters.

Life can be tough. Let me restate that… life can be MORE THAN tough. Jesus even made the statement that we would experience trouble in this world in John 16:33. That trouble can take on many shapes and sizes… and sometimes it can be so outlandish that it comes off as hard to believe.

And here is what I find to be really interesting… one of the more popular forms of television entertainment is reality TV shows. And these shows THRIVE on drama! These shows do all that they can to exaggerate the circumstances and audiences tune in nightly to watch! Do we really need more drama in our lives?

This morning is NOT a message that is fixated on the negative. This morning will NOT focus on hardships or troubles that we face in this world. With a message title of “You Can’t Make This Stuff Up” we are going to talk about a story… THE STORY… that might sound too good to be true… but is certainly true and is described by Paul in Romans 1:16 as the POWER OF GOD.

Jesus did in fact say that we would face trouble in this world… but that verse concludes with Jesus saying, “take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Overcome the world? What in the world does that mean? Consider the context in which this statement was said:

Jesus had not come as conquering king, but as sacrificial lamb. And that sacrifice had not been made yet.

The disciples had witnessed Jesus perform many amazing miracles… miracles that impacted a person or a crowd, but certainly not the world. And this statement was made during the Last Supper… the time just before Jesus was arrested. Imagine for a moment the impact it might have had on the hearts when they saw the “overcomer of this world” hauled off in chains. Was this statement too good to be true? Was Jesus just making this stuff up? Was He just saying things to help His disciples feel better? How would He overcome?

Here’s the deal - EVERYONE in this world can relate to the truth that we will face trouble in this world. The REAL trouble is… not everyone will choose to believe in the One who has overcome this world. How can ALL THIS TROUBLE be overcome? How can all this pain and hardship be dealt with? How can One man be the solution… you’ve got to be making this stuff up!!!

Keep this thought in mind for a moment and go with me to our main verse today in Galatians 1. Remember… Paul is writing this letter to the churches in Galatia to set the record straight. Some false teachings were being presented and accepted as gospel which Paul identified in verse 7 as “no gospel at all.” Paul is speaking the truth… and he brings some clarification regarding the origin of this truth in verses 11-12. “I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. 12 I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.

As Paul is working to clear the air regarding the true gospel… He drops these two very important sentences. Paul wants the readers to know that he didn’t make this story up. The gospel message was not something that any man came up with… it did not originate within someone’s imagination. THIS WAS GOD’S REDEMPTIVE PLAN and Paul had received it how? By revelation from Jesus Christ.

Paul was not taught the gospel. Paul did not sit in a classroom and study the gospel. Paul did not follow Jesus during His earthly ministry and witness the gospel in motion. Paul did not even accept Jesus and went so far as to persecute anyone who preached this message. PAUL DIDN’T BELIEVE IT… UNTIL HE PERSONALLY RECEIVED IT! And we will talk more about his past next week, but for now we understand that Paul became a believer in Christ because of his personal experience with Christ.

The people of Galatia were allowing for conditions to be added to the gospel message… conditions such as the requirement of circumcision for believers. They were cheapening the grace that God was pouring out and Paul was not about to sit on the sideline and let that happen.

There were folks who saw this message as too good to be true. The addition of conditions was a reflection of their lack of faith… their lack of belief.

“Okay so yes Jesus’ blood covers sin but… without circumcision then you’re really not saved yet.” Sounds outlandish, right? “Okay so that person comes to church and says they are a believer but… look at those tattoos and look at what they used to do and they don’t look like and sound like what we conditioned and mature believers look like and sound like.”

When we say stuff like this… WE CHEAPEN THE GRACE OF GOD. We are professing our unbelief in the gospel message… the message that says EVERYONE WHO CALLS UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED!

A Message to be Declared… Not Redefined

Here’s the message today folks. And we know this passage well. John 3:16 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

Please allow me to “reality TV this passage for us this morning. For God, the creator of all things, the Omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient heavenly Father so loved this perverted and corrupt and immoral and rebellious and selfish and greedy and sin-filled world that He gave His one and only and spotless and blameless and pure compassionate and caring and incorruptible and good and mighty and peaceful and comforting and protective and powerful and sincere and wholesome and victorious Son that whoever believes in, places their faith in, Him will not perish or suffer or stand condemned but will have eternal life!

If you stop and consider this for a moment, the gospel message does seem too good to be true… WE DON’T DESERVE THIS AMAZING GRACE!

But this message is not based off our goodness or the lack thereof… it is solely based off the GOODNESS OF OUR GOD! Our God is GOOD and His redemptive plan is GOOD. It is a plan… a message that we have been given to declare as defined by God.

Paul goes so far to say in 1 Corinthians 1:18 that 18 ...the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

Why would the message of the cross seem foolish to those who are perishing? What about the message makes it so… unbelievable? In context, He goes on to say that those who are perishing are living according to the wisdom of this world. He calls out the “wise person,” the “teacher of the law,” and the “philosopher of this age.” Look at his next words in verse 20, “Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?”

Listen friends, salvation, redemption, deliverance, are all made possible through the wisdom of God and through the message of Christ crucified. The world struggles with this because it goes against cultural trends and norms. Yet 1 Corinthians 1:25 declares “the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.”

To a world that is perishing the message of the cross does not make sense. Why would God offer grace through the death and resurrection of His Son? Why would Jesus - who was blameless and without sin - die for a world that is FULL of sin? If my sin is all about my wrong doings… shouldn’t there be something I must do in my own power and strength to make right all my wrong doings?

It’s not about what you can do… it’s not about any reasoning or understanding or based on any wisdom of this world. IT’S ALL ABOUT WHAT GOD HAS DONE THROUGH THE GIVING OF HIS SON!

This was the message that was revealed to us by Christ Jesus Himself. The words found in John 3:16-17 were spoken by Christ himself. As Paul declared to the Galatians that he received through revelation… so can we declare that we have received through revelation from Jesus.

This Word was given to us so that we might know and accept the truth! This Word… this special revelation… was breathed into existence by God through the use of human authors (2 Timothy 3:16). NONE of this originated with or in man… every bit of this truth came from God himself!

The reason the Word is so difficult for the world to receive is because the world is having a hard time accepting God for who He is. 1 Corinthians 1:21 reads, For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.

Check this out in the Message paraphrase. “Since the world in all its fancy wisdom never had a clue when it came to knowing God, God in his wisdom took delight in using what the world considered stupid—preaching, of all things!—to bring those who trust him into the way of salvation.”

Here’s the deal… John 3:16 reveals to us why God did what He did. God so LOVED the world... that’s why He gave. But a world that does not know God does not know of His unfailing love. IT GOES AGAINST THE CONVENTIONAL WISDOM OF THIS WORLD. There must be something we have to do in order to earn God’s love. Church, that is NOT gospel truth! God’s love for ALL REMAINS whether or not a person choose to believe in Him!!!

A Truth To Remember for All Time

The people of Galatia were allowing their minds and hearts to be polluted with “truth” that was no gospel at all. They were walking away from the truth Paul presented - the gospel message he received through revelation from Christ.

Paul didn’t make this message up. At one point in his life, Paul struggled with the message himself… until He met the One who has overcome this world on the road to Damascus. And in that moment, Paul’s life was dramatically turned upside down. He went from operating according to the “wisdom” of this world to depending on the wisdom that is given to us by God.

Let’s be real for a moment… God’s redemptive plan seems out of this world. God’s redemptive plan doesn’t make sense. God’s redemptive plan is undeserved, unwarranted, and unheard of. But here is the key point as to why God did what He did. GOD SO LOVED. And church… nothing of this world can stop a move of God’s love. NOTHING.

When Jesus made the statement about facing trouble but to take heart for He has overcome this world, it was said at what we know as the last supper. Shortly after this took place, Jesus would be arrested.

It didn’t make sense… the guys were struggling to understand. How could Jesus’ death bring victory? How could His demise bring deliverance?

The wisdom of the world was getting in the way of the revelation sitting before them. Church, I pray that our own understanding, our own “wisdom,” or our way of processing information and reasoning never gets in the way of the gospel truth. I pray that we will forever remember that this is His plan… this is HIS story… this is God’s way of doing things and it reveals just how good and awesome and powerful and gracious and merciful and loving our God truly is!

You can’t make this story up! God our heavenly Father gave His Son to give His life for the sins of this world. IF you believe… IF you place your faith in Him, your sins will be forgiven and you will receive eternal life! His victory becomes your victory… and your life will never be the same!

And for those struggling to receive… remember Paul did not believe until he personally received. Lay aside the so called wisdom of this world and accept what God has done for you in love. Accept that you have sinned. Accept that you need a Savior. Accept that Jesus is that Savior… and choose to give your heart to Him.

PRAYER - SALVATION

For believers today… I invite you to celebrate by remembering the price that was paid that made our redemption possible. The gospel message seems too good to be true because it is based off the goodness of our God… not the “goodness” of this world. You can’t make this story up… the story of a redeemer giving His life as a ransom for many.

Jesus’ body was broken that we could be made whole again. Jesus’ blood was split that we might be forgiven of all sin. And we celebrate these truths today by receiving communion together… by worshipping Jesus and giving thanks for His sacrifice.

1 Cor 11:23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.