Open your Bibles again with me
to Galatians 1. Galatians 1. The title of the message this
morning is The Gospel We Preach. The Gospel We Preach. We hold fast to this gospel,
the gospel of God's free and sovereign grace in the Lord Jesus
Christ. And it is to be preached boldly. It's to be preached without apology. It's to be preached without compromise. Plain and simple, it's the truth.
And we declare it as such. But in the same manner, it's to be preached in compassion
and in love. This gospel, it's offensive to
this natural flesh. You tell a man he's a sinner,
until the Spirit of God's revealed that to him, that's not well
received. When you tell a man that God's
going to have mercy on whom he's going to have mercy and whom
he will he harden, again, the natural man, that kind of kicks
against that old man. It's offensive to the natural
flesh. And if you leave here today, you walk through those
doors offended by the gospel, well, that's one thing. But I don't want to be offensive. Paul writing to the Romans, he
said this, if it be possible, If it be possible, as much as
life in you, live peaceably with all men. I want to have a compassionate
spirit like the Apostle Paul did. Galatians 6, turn over just
a few pages. Galatians 6. Look at verse 1. Paul said, Brethren, if a man
be overtaken in a fall, ye which are spiritual restore such a
one in the spirit of meekness, considering thyself, lest thou
also be tempted. Let's not forget the pit that
we were dug at. Let's not forget there was
a time when we, like those men, remember
our Lord had talked about particular redemption, and the people were
furious, and they went and they picked Him up, and they would
have thrown Him off the side of a cliff, Let's not forget that we were
in those shoes ourselves. Turn to the book of Ephesians
4. You mentioned that before, Dan,
in prayer, that pride of grace. Let's be thankful for it. Let's
not forget that God's shown mercy to us. Look here in Ephesians
4, beginning with verse 31. Let all bitterness and wrath
and anger and clamor and evil speaking be put away. Put away with all malice. And
look what he says here. Be ye kind one to another. Tenderhearted. Forgiving one
another. But they did this, they did that.
I don't know if I can forgive that or not. What's he say here? Even as God for Christ's sake
has forgiven you. We ought to be able to get over
just about anything, shouldn't we, when we consider that? Even
as God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven. You see that? Put away
bitterness. Put away anger, wrath, clamor,
evil speaking. And in place of that, what's
he saying? Be kind. Be tenderhearted. Have a forgiving spirit. even as God, for Christ's sake,
hath forgiven you." How has He forgiven them? How has He forgiven us? He's
forgiven us freely. Freely. What did we do to deserve
His forgiveness? Nothing. He's forgiven us fully. We forgive people sometimes,
don't we? Up to this point, that's it. He's forgiven us fully. He's forgiven us forever. You ever forgive somebody until
something comes up and then it's on again, isn't it? He's forgiven us forever. Why? Why has he done that? For Christ's sake. For Christ's
sake. Romans 14 is filled with instruction
on not judging others with regard to celebrating the day or what
a man eats or what a man drinks. And verse 19 of Romans 14 says,
let us follow after the things which make for peace wherein
we may edify one another. That's clear, isn't it? I hope
that's clear. We're to get along with people.
Matthew went so far as to write in Matthew 5.25, agree with thine
adversary, not thy friend, thy adversary quickly while thou
art in the way with him, lest at any means the adversary deliver
thee to the judge. and the judge deliver thee the
officer, and thou be cast into prison." With that said, there
are many things that we can agree to disagree on. There's many things that we can
just move ahead with. But listen to what Paul writes
here in Galatians 1, beginning with verse 6. Follow along with
me. He says, I marvel, verse six,
Galatians one, I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him
that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel,
which is not another. But there be some that trouble
you and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, Though
we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you than
that which we've preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I again,
if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that which you
have received, let him be accursed." That's a pretty bold statement,
isn't it? That's a strong charge. What a responsibility for the
preacher, but not just the preacher, for the hearer also. This is
serious. This matter of the gospel is
serious. And apparently, in one of the churches of Galatia, false
preachers had crept in, wolves in sheep's clothing, preaching
another gospel, which Paul says it isn't another gospel. There
is no other gospel. There is one gospel. Paul says
it was a perverted gospel. What this perversion was, we
don't know, doesn't say. Maybe it was just a little bit
of works, just a little bit. Maybe it was a little self-righteousness. I know this, we're told in God's
word to beware of false prophets, which come in sheep's clothing. But inwardly, oh, they look,
on the outside, they look like everybody else. They're wolves
and sheep. Inside, they are ravening wolves. They look like sheep. Maybe they even sound like sheep.
A brother of mine was traveling out west here a few years back.
And he said that where he was camping at, he'd seen within
a couple miles away, there was a church advertising to be a
sovereign grace church. And he said, I was pretty, he
told me before he went, he said, I'm pretty excited about maybe
meeting some new brethren, maybe seeing that there's somebody
else out there preaching the truth. And he said, when we went in
the building, Anything, anything but. Beware, beware. Name on a building can be deceiving. And just because a man says he
preaches the gospel, listen, listen, listen in light
of God's word. Our Lord spoke in Matthew and
he said this, there shall arise false Christ and false prophets
shall show great signs and wonders in so much that if it were possible,
if it were possible, they'd even deceive the very elect. Turn to 2 Peter. 2 Peter 2. 2 Peter 2 verse 1. It says, there were false prophets
also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers
among you, who privilege shall bring in damnable heresies, even
denying the Lord that bought them. And they'll bring upon
themselves swift destruction. And many, many shall follow their
pernicious ways." That word pernicious, I didn't know what it meant,
but I looked it up. Damnable ways, destructive ways. Many shall follow their pernicious
ways by reason of whom the way of truth shall evil be spoken
of. I pray that wouldn't happen on
our watch, that he calls us to be watchful, to listen closely. Paul says this again, if we,
think about this, if it were possible even an angel of God,
preach any other gospel than that which we preached, let him
be accursed." Accursed, that means a thing devoted to God
that has absolutely no hope of being redeemed. It means banned,
completely banned. It means doomed or destruction. And Paul repeats this twice for
emphasis. If any man preaches any other
gospel than that which is preached, let him be accursed. Well, remember Brother Henry
saying one time, the best way to expose a crooked stick, you
all remember this, is to put a straight stick beside it. Sometimes that stick looks straight,
doesn't it? Until a straight stick is put
up next to it, and then it's evident. So what was this gospel? What was this gospel that Paul
preached? Look with me back at Galatians
1. Look beginning with verse 3. Paul writes here in verse 3,
Grace be to you, and peace from God the Father, and from our
Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver
us from this present evil world according to the will of God
the Father, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. What's the first verse we read
there? What's the first word we read
there in verse 3? Look at that. I've got six points
here I want us to see this morning. But the very first word we read
is grace. Grace. It's the gospel, this
gospel we preach, this gospel we hear. It's the gospel of God's
free and sovereign grace. We read this, Noah found grace. in the eyes of the Lord. Remember
that God looked down and he saw the earth and it was only evil
continually. Everything he saw. I think about
the world we live in today. How evil and wicked it is. But
obviously it was worse. God looked down and all he saw
was only evil continually. Yet. He destroyed it. Yet. There was one, wasn't there? There was Noah. Noah found grace
in the eyes of Noah and his family. This thing of grace, it's unmerited
favor. We didn't do anything to deserve
it. It's God giving us what we do not deserve. Ephesians 2 verse 8 says, for
by grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves. It is a gift of God. The believer
is redeemed from death and sin to life and glory in Christ by
the grace of Almighty God. Electing grace, redeeming grace,
calling grace, sanctifying grace, eternal grace. My friends, sovereign,
sovereign grace. How? In, by, and through the
Lord Jesus Christ. In Acts 20 verse 24, we read
this. None of these things move me,
neither count I my life dear unto myself so that I may finish
my course with joy and the ministry which I've received of the Lord
Jesus to do this, to testify of the gospel of the grace of
God. It's the gospel of His grace. And back to our text here in
Galatians 1, look at verse 3. Grace be to you. Here's the second
word, peace. Peace from God the Father and
the Lord Jesus Christ. You know, a false gospel declares
peace where there is no peace. It's a false hope, it's a false
peace. The gospel declares peace from
God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. It's the gospel
of peace. Peace with God through the Lord
Jesus Christ. Peace in the heart, a peace that
passeth all understanding. This gospel declares the Lord
Jesus Christ who is our peace. Peace made by his blood. Peace made by his sacrifice on
the cross. Peace that passeth all understand
it. Peace from God the Father and
the Lord Jesus Christ. Third, look at verse four. who gave himself for our sins. This gospel, God's gospel declares
that the Lord Jesus Christ gave himself for our sins. Men say he died as a reformer.
Men say he died as an example. Scripture declares this, that
he died for our sins, according to the scriptures. That's what we are. We're sinners. Sinners by birth, sinners by
choice, sinners by practice. You don't have to turn there.
Romans 5, 12. Sinners by birth, wherefore as by one man sin entered
into the world and death by sin, so death passed upon all men,
for all have sin. We're born in trespasses and
sin. We come forth, scripture says
this, we come forth from the womb, speaking lies. Is that true? Do we truly come
forth from the womb speaking lies? During our Bible school
this summer, I asked the kids, I said, who taught you to lie? I'd ask you parents the same
thing, grandparents. Did you have to teach your kids
how to lie? Did you set them down and say, this is how we
lie? Wasn't necessary, was it? It's
already there. We come forth from the womb speaking. David said this in Psalm 51.
He said, behold, I was shapen in iniquity. In sin did my mother
conceive me. See, this thing of sin, it's
not just what we do. It's what we are. We're sinners. In this flesh dwelleth no good
thing. even when we do good. Even when
we would try to do good, what's there? Evil is present with me. And apart from Christ, apart
from Him, apart from His mercy, apart from His grace, every one
of us will die in our sins. Paul wrote this, he said in Romans
7, 24, O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this
body of death? I'm glad he didn't stop there.
I thank God. I thank God through Jesus Christ,
our Lord. So then with the mind, I myself
serve the law of God, but with the flesh, the law of sin. We're
saved by grace, saved by the Lord Jesus Christ. And even though we're sinners,
it says this, yet He gave Himself for our sins. The Lord Jesus
Christ gave Himself for our sins, a sacrifice for sin. Isaiah said this, He was wounded
for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquity.
The chastisement of his peace was upon us, and by his stripes
we are healed. Well, verse four, again in our
text. This gospel, God's gospel, declares
that the Lord Jesus Christ gave himself for our sins. Fourth, read on here, that he
might deliver us. that He might deliver us from
this present evil world. The gospel. Paul's gospel. The gospel of God's Word declares
deliverance. Deliverance. Our Lord walked
into that synagogue in Bethlehem on the Sabbath. He opened the
book of Isaiah and He began to read. Listen to this. Turn to
Luke 4. Turn with me to Luke 4. Look at verse 18. Spirit of the Lord is upon me
because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor
He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the
captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty
them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And you know, everyone we read
on, everyone in that synagogue's eyes were fixed. They were fastened
on him. Deliverance to the captives. Deliverance from this present
evil world. Do you still have Galatians? Turn back to Galatians 1 verse 4. Who gave himself for our sins
that he might deliver us from this present evil world. Fifth
point, according to the will of God, and our Father." It's
the gospel concerning His will, not man's will, His will, God's
will. Psalm 135 verse 6, whatsoever
the Lord pleased, whatever He pleased, that did He. Where? In heaven, in earth, in the seas,
and in all deep places. He doeth according to His will
in the armies of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth,
and none can stay His hand or say unto Him, What doest thou? He chose us in Christ. Think
about that. He chose a people in Christ from
before the foundation of the world. And He took that people
and He gave them to His Son, gave them to the Lord Jesus Christ,
And He quickens us, gives us life in His Son. Who does He
do that for? Us who were dead in trespasses
and sin. He's redeemed us in His Son. God's will declares of His own
will begat He us even by the word of truth. What is this gospel? It's the
gospel of God's grace. It's the gospel of peace. It's the gospel that declares
that He gave Himself for our sins. It's a gospel that declares
deliverance to the captive. A gospel that declares His will. It's according to His will. And six, it's the gospel in which
God gets all the glory. He gets all the glory. You know,
a false gospel, it glorifies man. It glorifies this flesh,
not God's gospel. The gospel of this world, it
may give God some glory, But he gives man a whole bunch, doesn't
he? Isaiah 42.8 says, I am the Lord. That's my name. And my glory will I not give
to another. He's not going to share his.
It's his. It's His glory. It's all His. This gospel declares
to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. All glory and praise to the Father,
to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. Is it the gospel? I'd ask this
question. Who gets the glory? Who gets
the glory? Revelation 5.13 says this, blessing
and honor and glory and power be unto him. Unto him who sits
upon the throne and unto the lamb forever and ever. I pray he'd make us faithful
to preach it. I pray he'd make us faithful
to hearing, to be faithful to guard against
error. What he say though, we are an
angel from heaven, preach any other gospel than that which
we've preached. Let it be, let it be accursed.
All right. Pray God be pleased to bless
his word. Ray, you come lead us in the
closing.