The UNEXPECTED

Romans 5:7-8 (NIV) Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. ⁸ But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

 

I am going to be using this passage today to preach to you about … “THE UNEXPECTED”

As we begin to consider “THE UNEXPECTED” my mind moves to many times throughout scripture, OT & New, where God likes to work in the realm of the “unexpected”

·      Recall acct of camp staff praying over me to the “begin to think in the realm of the supernatural”

o  So I tell you all today, “let’s begin to think in the realm of the unexpected”

·      Everything about the One who we call “Jesus” seems to defy expectation.

o  It was true then, it is still true today… (even though they/we were told beforehand)

o  They had every prophecy about the EXPECTED Messiah & still somehow the “religious people” of His day treated Jesus as if He was UNEXPECTED.

·      Everything about the way He handled people was unexpected…

§  the Pharisees, Scribes

§  His disciples

§  All the others, who came to Him for signs, miracles, wonders, healings, teachings

·      Think of the “Be” attitudes

·      Think of the conversations going on during the Last Supper

·      Think of the way He said “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” Luke 18:16-17 (NIV)

o  Everything about His birth, life ministry,  miracles,

o  His death, burial, resurrection & ascension: “But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” 1Cor 2:7-8 (KJV)

o  The impartation of His Holy Spirit: “And suddenly [unexpectedly]there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind...”

o  Sadly, at this time, in the course of human history, the world at large is making the same mistake as the promise of His coming again is becoming less & less expected.

·      And… yet… we are told to expect… “The Unexpected”!

o  Ephesians 3:20-21 (NKJV) Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

o  1 Corinthians 2:9 (KJV) But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

I’m going to take a couple of accounts in Scripture that brings us even closer to why we are here today by the grace of God.

{{{EXPAND ON PSGS BELOW & BRING CROWD TO REALIZE}}}

·      Peter, after Jesus said “cast your nets” & they took a good haul of fishes. Peter says a most unexpected thing “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!” Luke 5:8

o  Why does he say such a thing? He could have said “thank you” & just been amazed by the miracle, but with this unexpected catch of fish, he responds in kind of a revelation that standing before him was no ordinary man.

·      Isaiah, when he has a vision of God, in His glory

o  Isaiah 6:3-5 (NIV) “And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory. ”At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.”

The MAIN POINT in which I have brought you to today is to illustrate what Christ did in response to our sinful ways was profoundly… “unexpected”.

·      Consider, for a moment ALL that we’ve done against Him

o  {{ELABORATE ON SINS COMMITTED}}

·      …How could you or I expect a “holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, exalted above the heavens” kind of God to have anything to do with us???

o  What does this truly tell us about our God, that He KNEW we would do all the sinned previously mentioned AGAINST HIM & yet still, He goes ahead & creates us anyways?

o  And moreover, NOT ONLY did He create us despite His knowing we would fall short, but He made provision for us to be justified by His blood

§  He was/is “lamb slain before the foundations of the world”,

§  “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

o  On top of that He made provision for us to be sanctified through His Spirit & eventually glorified by the power of His own resurrection.

·      What I want to remind us today is that…

o   We are not worthy of grace, mercy or blessing. These are both unexpected & undeserved… so knowing this…

o  WHAT KIND OF A RESPONSE DOES THIS ELICIT FOR THE UNBELIEVER & BELIEVER ALIKE???

§  Does this realization still cause our hearts to stir in 2010?

§  We, as created beings, by a stark & honest long look at ourselves are compelled to respond with… “the unexpected”

§  An unexpected approach to the altar, an unexpected knee to be bent in submission, unexpected voices being lifted up, unexpected repentance to be offered…

o  AND HE, IN KIND… will respond…

§  With the UNEXPECTED peace that passes understanding

§  With UNEXPECTED joy inexpressible & full of glory

§  With the UNEXPECTED power of His Holy Spirit

§  With UNEXPECTED signs, miracles, wonders, healings & restoration

What Is Your Treasure?

msg for 12/6/09. Preached @ Christian Gathering Church

“Where your treasure is, there your treasure will be also .”Matt 6:21 & Luke 12:34:
- What do you treasure?

• my mom calling about stew last night

- How do you know that you truly treasure it?
Our TRUE TREASURE will cause us to:

• Buy the things we buy
• Sell the things we sell (garage sales / ebay)
• find ways to live in closer proximity to it
• re-evaluate & re-assess your life in various stages
• motivated to acquire it
• create new friendships & possibly dissolve old ones
• neglect everything else because of it
• be consumed by it
• my reasons for exercise in past & lack of now has to do with what I treasure

CHOOSING Material / Temporal OVER Spiritual / Eternal

“an evil man produces evil things from his storeroom of evil.” Matt 12:35/Luke 6:45

- man does, in fact, even treasure things that are evil & adverse to God.
       “…to one burdened with grief…whose existence is bitter, who wait for death…and search for it more than for hidden treasure,” Job 3:20-21
       “All who make idols are nothing, and what they treasure does not profit…” Isa 44:9
       “…A rich man’s land was very productive. He thought to himself, ‘What should I do, since I don’t have any where to store my crops? I will do this…I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones and store all my grain and my goods there. Then I’ll say to myself, you have many goods stored up for many years. Take it easy; eat, drink, and enjoy yourself.’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is demanded of you. And the things you have prepared-whose will they be?’ That’s how it is with the one who stores up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.’” Luke 12:16-21


- We even treasure how we store our treasure

• purses / bank accts / investments / babies room / serving your favorite dish IN your favorite dish / colleges & universities / relationships / titles we carry

       “Your wealth is ruined: your clothes are moth-eaten; your silver and gold are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You stored up treasure in the last days!” Jam 5:2-3
- having “things” is not sin. The truth is this is the fate of all material possessions. If your “faith” is in such things, you will be sorely depressed, because this is its fate. If not, you will not be consumed while the things themselves are.

CHOOSING Spiritual / Eternal OVER Material / Temporal

       “A good man produces good things from his storehouse of good,” Matt 12:35/Luke 6:45


       “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure, buried in a filed, that a man found and reburied. Then in his joy he goes and sells everything he has and buys that field.” Matt 13:44
- to truly treasure something, you must also treasure what it takes to get it.

• “Prize” w/ “Process” /// “Means” to an “End”

       “I have not departed from the commands of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my daily food.” Job 23:12
- Treasure is that which may devalue your quality of life if it’s taken away & add value when it is acquired


       {regarding understanding} “…seek it like silver and search for it like hidden treasure, then you will understand…” Prov 2:1-5
- “though it cost you all you have, get understanding”
- Explain the idea behind the COST aspect of the “Cause, Cost & Response” series that your doing w/ the teens


       “But Mary was treasuring up all these things in her heart and meditating on them.”           Luke 2:19, 51
- We treasure other peoples opinions about our treasure


       “You lack one thing: Go sell all you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.” {Matt adds, “if you want to be perfect”} Matt 19:21/Mark 10:21/Luke 18:22
- Simply knowing what is supposed to be treasured is not enough.

• it must be accompanied by your motive, will & application

- The doing or not doing of something is not enough, you must treasure the relationship that it has with your purpose.
- Jesus was saying, “treasure me”
- interesting that “perfection” or “completeness” comes from treasuring Him
- You can tell what the Apostles & couriers of God’s Word treasured through their writings.

• “Slumber of Christianity” Ted Dekker
• Peter spoke of “[obtaining] an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you”
• He realized the value in this treasure when he saw that the prophets of old were curious of it, and even the angels themselves.
• Jude “felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.”
• Luke said that “it seemed fitting for [him]…, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in consecutive order…”
• John told us that “these things have been written so that you may believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.”
• Paul said, “this life which I now live in the flesh, I live unto the Son of God who loved me & gave Himself for me”
• “Now we have this treasure in clay jars, so that this extraordinary power may be from God and not from us.” 2Cor 4:7

       “Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, willing to share, stroring up for themselves a good foundation for the age to come, so that they may take hold of life that is real.” 1Tim 6:18-19

WHAT GOD TREASURES:

       “Now if you will listen to Me and carefully keep My covenant, you will be My own possession {peculiar treasure} out of all the peoples, although all the earth is Mine” Exo 19:5
- The entirety of Scripture resides upon how much God truly treasures us:

• “What is man…
• “He lives to make intercession for us…
• “He knows our coming & going
•  “in the image of God He created man…”
• “He sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts…”
• “friend that sticks close than a brother"
• “Since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise…”
• “I know the plans that I have for you…”
• “Those whom He foreknew, He also predestined”
• “For God so loved the world…”
• “He came so that we might have life and life more abundantly”
• “We are fearfully and wonderfully made”
• “I knit you together in your mother’s womb”
• “We’re the sheep of His pasture”
• “We’re His prized possession”

Revelation Scripture -
       “Where your treasure is, there your treasure will be also .”Matt 6:21 &Luke 12:34


2Pet 2:19b: “… since people are enslaved to whatever defeats them.”
- Your treasure is whatever defeats your will to do anything else
- “Jesus, defeat my will”… “not my will, but yours be done”
- Paul spoke of Himself as a “bondservant” and a “slave” of Jesus Christ

• You are a slave to your treasure, because wherever your treasure is, there your heart will be also
• “You’ve stolen my heart yes you have” song
• In order for us to truly treasure Christ, we must allow Him to defeat our will.

CAUSE and AFFECT
WAYiou wed night series

expanded sermon notes for 10/14/09
"What is your CAUSE?"

       The CAUSE & AFFECT theme of this series is not merely a play on words. Intentionally, the hope is to convey the command in Matt 28:19, “Go and make disciples…” Jesus was clear in his resolve for us to go CAUSE something. Moreover, he was telling us to go AFFECT the world, the environment, and the people all around for the glory of the Kingdom of His Name. “…I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for the harvest...” and “…the workers are few…send out some more workers…”

 Series Verse: Nehemiah 2:17
       “…you see the trouble we are in… [everything] lies in ruins… Come let us rebuild the wall… [so] that we will no longer be in disgrace.”
       All throughout the book of Nehemiah are scattered examples of a group of people receiving a cause, taking note of the cost and striving persistently in providing a response. I urge you to read over this book along with this series. See the trials and testing that these people fought their way through and see if you can identify or sympathize with their struggles and victories.
       So how do we go about this task? There 3 major aspects we will discover throughout this series. It is an adaptation from a series of lectures taught by Ravi Zacharias in which he presents 3 major challenges: “Is there not a Cause? (This is the first with which we will be dealing with momentarily.) “Is there not a Cost?” & “Is there not a Correspondence?” (We will be dealing with these over the next few weeks).
       Recently in our small groups discussion, we have been probing various YouTube clips as well as addressing our personal life situations so that we might discover what some of our possible CAUSES may be. We asked this one question to bring it to the surface, “What grieves your heart the most about the world around you?” We have had answers across a telling array of issues: “Teen sexuality”, “violence”, “hypocrisy” & “whether or not Christianity is exciting or boring” to name a few. There cannot be enough emphasis placed on the importance of allowing our hearts to be stirred in the area of CAUSE.


What is “CAUSE”?
       It is the reason for which we decide one way or the other. It is the grounds from which we present our case. It is the source that we always come back to when we feel lost, confused and alone. It is the root that sustains the fruit. It is the origin that decides how something will progress. It is the foundation on which a purpose is built. CAUSE brings about something else after itself. CAUSE produces an unending line of reactions. CAUSE is the trigger before the spark. CAUSE initiates all else that follows. CAUSE is the affect that gives birth to the effect.

CAUSE in its 3 stages:

“Is there not a cause?” 1Samuel 17:29
       David came out of a relatively simple environment & was introduced to the real world of war. He looked for bravery & courage, but found none. He searched the crowd for someone to step up to the perilous task at hand, so he could perhaps cheer them on, only to be disappointed when no one did. He longed to hear someone defend the relentlessly cruel mocking of the one he called God, but witnessed everyone around him helplessly tolerate the sound.
       This is the 1st stage of CAUSE. The awareness in a soul. This is where the discovery of some particular matter has CAUSED our hearts to grieve. This is a question asked by most, if not all, of humanity. Christian & non. Your emotions often times overwhelm you when this question and the dire need for an answer to it invades your mind and heart. You desperately are trying to figure out what’s wrong and if there is any hope for a solution. You begin to try to make others aware with some success, but no one else really seems to “get it”. You try to rally people, but no one seems motivated.
       The danger in staying camped out in this stage is that you might become tempted to give up the pursuit of CAUSE altogether after being frustrated by the confusion of the apparent anarchy around you. Over time you may develop a numbness to your surroundings and learn to not care. “But those who endure until the end shall be saved” is the passage that comes to mind when you might need encouragement to persevere through this stage of CAUSE and onto the next.


“Lord, plead my cause…” Psalms 35:1
       At repeated points in David’s life, he called upon his God to deliver him. He was chased by his condemned predecessor and later on by his even more greedy and over anxious would be successors. He was attacked often times by those who posed as friends and allies. It was at times such as these that he would call upon God to check his actions, his motives, his heart and his thoughts. He promoted his right standing in humility before God and asked that because of his innocence that God would rescue him from those who were threatening his life.
       This is the 2nd stage of CAUSE. The justification of a soul. At this crossroads, you have journeyed through the “There must be something wrong” point and have yourself determined what it must be. Believing that you see the solution, you now become intentional about the possible difference you could make. Then you begin on your quest to search for like-minded people and you discover a new found desperation for God’s help in order to accomplish that “something” that seems to overwhelm your soul.

“Lord, plead thine own cause…” Psalms 74:22
       This is the final stage of CAUSE. A soul is in line with the heart of God. This happens when you receive the revelation of what grieves the very heart of God Himself. You are moved by what moves God. You are concerned with fulfilling His will as you purposefully align your words, motives and habits to accomplish what you believe that the Lord is asking of you. You have become anchored in the life motto of “…not my will, but yours be done.” For one to consistently operate in this arena of CAUSE, you must continually check yourself. Recognize when you are mistaken and humbly be willing to admit it to yourself, others and also to your Heavenly Father. On the other hand, know when the Holy Spirit and Scripture agree. This convinces you that you are doing God’s will. Then be relentless (not forgetting humility) in seeing the matter through until the end. Without envy you must also empower others to help fulfill certain roles that will bring about the desired AFFECT. When you are after the CAUSE of Christ, you are beginning to soak in the big picture of God’s purpose.
       My desire through this message is that CAUSE will be inspired in you. Walk away with the courage & the confirmation you need to AFFECT some situation that has always grieved your heart. Any pastor whose CAUSE is in alignment with the will of God knows that church services are far more than filling seats and doing “church” to say we did it. When we say, “bring your family and friends” we aren’t just trying to boost our numbers. When we take offering we’re not just trying to get into your pockets. Our desire is to cultivate a God CAUSE, a true heart to AFFECT the world around us through the fellowship that the Lord has placed under our care and attention. Our desire is to sow the seed, nourish the soil and bear the fruit with you.

THE ISSUE OF EVIL

EVIL DEFINED - AMISS

Subjective (Humanistic) View

Relativistic argument – culture, experience, emotive truth decides for the INDIVIDUAL what is good and evil
Isaiah 5:20 “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil…”
1Cor 14:33 “For God is not a God of confusion…”
How can you measure evil? inches, liters, watts, degrees...?
-Einstein handout-
Jude vs 8, 10 “Yet in the same way these men, also by dreaming, defile the flesh, and reject authority, and revile angelic majesties…these men revile the things which they do not understand, and the things which they know by instinct…by these things are they destroyed.”

RE-DEFINING EVIL (or rather, giving back its original Biblical meaning)

Objective (Biblical) View
Gen 1:4,10,12,18,21,25,31, “God saw that it was good… very good”
Is “good” referring to a moral good, or some other kind of “good”?
He is referring to “order”, He created & set EVERYTHING in perfect working “order”
“Good” in the sense of morality springs from what was set in order.

Gen 2:9 & 3:22 – “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” & “knowing good and evil”
Was ½ the tree “good” and ½ “evil”?
The tree represents “knowledge” it’s what was done with that tree that represented “good/evil” – “following intended order/rebelling against intended order”

"OUT OF ORDER" = "EVIL"

This does NOT take away from evil being “bad”, “hurtful”, “destructive”, “morally wrong”, “sinful” etc.
It ONLY takes away the subjectivity of what is “good/evil” & makes it something objective & clearly understood through the lenses of the Bible.

Is the Accusation/existence of Evil Proof that the God of the Bible Doesn’t Exist or That NO God Exist? or “How can an all-loving, all-knowing God allow evil to exist?”
-Ravi Zaccharias explanation-

1. "Would you agree that 'evil' exists?"
2. "Since you agree that 'evil' exists, surely you must agree that 'good' exists as well?"
3. "Since you agree that 'evil' & 'good' both exist, then you must agree that there is some type of universal moral law from which 'good' & 'evil' both descend from?"
4. "You agree that 'evil' exists. You agree that 'good' exists. They are substantive in a transcendant 'moral law'. So then, logically you must agree that wherever that this law & whoever gave/initiated this law must be as equally transcendant as the law that was given."

How does this disprove God? The answer is: IT DOESN'T. In fact it PROVES the need for God for the issue of "evil" to make sense.

WHAT IS THE "REAL" BATTLE BETWEEN "GOOD & EVIL" & HOW DID IT BEGIN?

God may have made evil possible, but people made it actual:
Deut 30:19 “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order hat you may live…”

Gen Chap 2:15 – 3:24 follows the:

• Boundaries for what is good(in order) and evil(out of order) are set in place with clear explanation of consequences for rebelling from the intended/imposed order (good), [2:15-17]
• The possibility for evil, [2:17]
  
• The responsibility of good & its benefits [2:18-25]
  
• The confusion/temptation of good & evil, [3:1-5]
  
• The choosing/actualization of evil (disorder) & rebellion of good (order), [3:6]
  
• The understanding of evil – its producing guilt & its fear of good & its (evils) desire to separate itself from good, [3:7-10]
  
• Attempt of evil(disorder) to explain(justify) its rebellion of good(order), [3:11-13]
  (PROCESS BEGINS TO REPEAT AT THIS POINT)the explanation from Good as to the subsequent consequences of rebellion from the imposed order(goodness), [3:14-19]
  
• The desire for “Supreme Good” to once again try to establish order where rebellion from the originally intended order had begun. However, this order is now a less than perfect order as was before, which makes it increasingly more difficult to appropriate the responsibility/benefits of staying within “the intended order”. [3:20-21]
  
• Necessity of good to judge/punish evil to perpetuate and further separate the already established boundaries/separation between them. [3:22-24]
  
• Also read Gen 4:6-16, confirms the order given in Gen 2:15-3:24
  ***Gen 4:7 “If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it."

WHY DOESN'T GOD GET RID OF EVIL?

Defeated vs. Destroyed
Evil defeated in the life, death & burial of Christ
Col 2:14-15 “having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.”
Romans 5:17-19 “For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many…Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. Because the one disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because the One obeyed God, many will be made righteous."
God destroying evil completely could possibly be the greatest evil of all…
It could take away the propensity to truly love God.

IS THERE EVIL POSSIBLE IN HEAVEN?

Why did Satan fall if it were impossible. REBELLION FROM ORDER.
We cannot destroy evil ourselves, but we can overcome or defeat it – AT WILL!!!
Luke 10:19 “Behold, I have given you authority…over all the power of the enemy…”
James 4:7 “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
Romans 12:21 “Do not be overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Remember “agape” love is a matter of will/choice & not a feeling
Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
Psalm 65:4 “How blessed is the one whom You choose and bring near to You to dwell in Your courts. We will be satisfied with the goodness of Your house…”

Do you see the choice indicated here…?
1John 2:10-11 “The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness and does not know where he is going because the darkness had blinded his eyes.

The existence of evil is a better argument FOR the existence of God rather than AGAINST.
-Christian Apologetics, pg 348-
“The point is that to say something is evil is to say that there is an objective, transcendent, personal being whose will is being violated or whose order is being disturbed. In short, to say something is evil is to claim there is a God. In fact, the existence of evil is one of the most powerful evidences for God. Without the existence of God, the idea of evil becomes unintelligible. As a result, the problem of evil is not a problem for the Christian. Rather [it] is a problem for unbelievers.”

copyrighted 2008, travis marshall iv

But When God...part II

For "part I" of this study click on link below:

http://rockfoundation.blogspot.com/2005/09/but-when-godpart-i.html

- We continue our study in vs 13 of Galatians chap 1 -

verse 13: "For you have heard of my former manner of life in Judaism, how I used to persecute the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it."

• Before coming to Christ, people will do what they "feel" is right. This thinking almost always comes from one of these possibilities: 1) philosophical worldview, 2) religious worldview, 3) environmental/social class leanings, 4) governmental laws or mandates. We are reminded, "lean not to your own understanding...".
• We are all doing what we think we NEED/HAVE to do, when most often it is rather what we WANT to do so that we will feel vindicated or justified in what is done. "We all as sheep have gone astray, everyone has turned to their own way."
• There may not be the actual physical hurting of some Christian or of Christ (though persecution of Christians is still occurring around the world) , but selfish will is a form of persecution against Christ and the church. It shows the intolerance of the world against Christ and His body. Jesus said, "If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before you".

verse 14: "...and I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my countrymen, being more extremely zealous for my ancestral traditions."

• Some people have gotten so caught up in the "rat race" or "climbing the corporate ladder" or even "keeping up with the Jones's" that they are unwilling to break themselves to "think outside the box". Despite accusations of Christianity being narrow-minded (and yes, absolute truth is and has to be exclusive), it is the one true source that actually allows you to see passed, through and above any present circumstances there may be and supersedes any social standing or financial bracket. "He that the Son has set free, is free indeed."
• Most Christians are Christians because their parents were, the formula is also true of most non-believers. Take great care with spiritual decisions, they will have long-lasting effect on your children and grandchildren and theirs as well.

This is the end of our session today. Pray for the furtherance of this ministry. We will continue this study as soon as the Lord wills and his servant is able. Peace to you all and let the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ rest upon you.

copyright 2005. travis marshall iv

But When God...part I

Lord, I pray that this would bless the reader and establish peace in their hearts that they might stand on your Holy Word...

- text is taken from Galatians 1:10-16 -

verse 10: "For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ."

• We need to ask ourselves this question: Who are we trying to please... God or Man?
• We're all enslaving ourselves to someone or at least something or even some ideal.
• There is a song that was put out a few years ago. Its lyrics are true of the way of this present age: "Some of them want to abuse you, some of them want to be abused...some of them want to use you, some of them want to be used by you."
• But Christ said, "Come to me all you who are heavy laden and I will give you rest." and again "My yoke is easy and my burden is light."

verse 11: "For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man."

• The apostle Peter said, "We did not follow cleverly devised tales..."
• The Bible is not a mythical book that can easily be dismissed as merely a spiritual guide.
• The "gospel" that Paul mentions was an actual eye-witness account and documented event in history, corroborated by many sources and peoples (Christian and non). The gospel of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ is a historically true account!

verse 12: "For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ."

• Paul was not mocking the teaching of the Word of God. (He himself was highly trained in the Scripture.) He was also not saying he was above instruction. "The word of God is for...instruction..."
• What man cannot teach, the Holy Spirit teaches. He was speaking of a spiritual encounter with the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ...this cannot be explained in human words and apprehended with human understanding. "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard...". On a smaller scale it would be like trying to explain what it's like to score a game-winning touchdown or jumpshot, or winning some kind of award that would be very important to you.

This is the end of our session today. Pray for the furtherance of this ministry. We will continue this study as soon as the Lord wills and his servant is able. Peace to you all and let the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ rest upon you.

copyright 2005. travis marshall iv