Category: Saturday Study

Colossians 1-4 & Philemon 1 (6.3.23)

Grab your Bible, and let’s go deeper into Colossians 2.

As you turn there, let me ask you to consider this: What are you confident in? 

With all that is uncertain in this life–all that is truly unreliable and always changing– what are you confident to stand on? To hold to without doubt?

The reality is few people really know what this is like. Everything they know feels like shifting sand at some point: health, marriage, kids, finances, job, friendships, self-confidence.

I pray that our time today in God’s word brings you to or recenters you on the only thing that is sufficient for all of life: Jesus Christ.  

In Colossians 2:6 Paul says “Therefore.” When studying the Bible and you see a “therefore,” you should always slow down and ask, “What’s it there for?”  

Let me give us a quick summary of what we have studied so far in this letter so we can see what “therefore” is there for:

• Colossians 1:1: The Apostle Paul is our author.

• Colossians 1:2 & 2:1: The saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae and Laodicea are the recipients of the letter.

• Colossians 2:2-5 shows us Paul’s purpose for writing the letter: That the body of Christ would be encouraged in heart and united in love, and that they would combat false teachings and arguments of those who are not in Christ.

• Colossians 1:26-27 & 2:2: More so, Paul’s purpose is to bring clarity of the gospel, that which was once a mystery to the people.

This gospel tells us the following:

• Colossians 1:21: Each member of the Church was once alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, dead in sin, and desperate for the saving grace of God alone.

• Colossians 1:20: But, through the life and work of Jesus, God chose to reconcile us to Himself by the blood of Christ’s cross.

The result of Christ’s substitutionary atonement:

• Colossians 1:13-14: God has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins, and life everlasting with God.

• Colossians 1:15-19: We see that Christ alone is sufficient for all we need and supreme over everything that is.

After all that, Paul says “THEREFORE”: Because of what God has done to make you His own people and reconcile you to Himself, and because Christ is sufficient and supreme …

Therefore what? Study God’s word occasionally, pray only when you are desperate, give financially only when you have extra, lean on each other only when you can’t go any further alone, and show up to church only when you feel like it? NO. NO. NO.

The problem is that sounds a lot more like modern-day Christianity than what Paul actually says next. Oh, how we need to REPENT. Repent that for far too long, far too many of us have taken our new identity in Christ far too lightly. 

Instead–in summation–Paul teaches us today “Therefore, stand firm in Christ.” 

Colossians 2:6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him

Do not turn to or rely on any other gospel! That’s Galatians 1:6.

In everything, you should walk in line with–in step with–the gospel. That’s Galatians 2:14.

We are to walk in line with the gospel every step of the way! Not because of Jesus, not with Jesus, but Christ in YOU!

Walk in it every day that God gives you, trusting in and hoping in Christ. Trust that He will finish what He started in you.

Philippians 1:6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

Christ Jesus the Lord is not just another thing that comes into your life and gets thrown on the pile. He literally changes your life. Your life experiences new birth in your salvation. Paul is saying, “Because you have Jesus, WALK in HIM!” It begs for the question to be asked: “If Jesus truly dwells within us, why would we do anything apart from Him?”

He takes it further. Look at verse 7:

Colossians 2:7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

First, you have to be rooted. You have to be grafted into the vine. Without the sovereign, saving work of God, we are literally dead branches (see John 15).

But when we are grafted into the vine who is Life, then we, the branches, have a foundation—a base—in a world that is absolutely uncertain and by which nothing is totally true or reliable.

We are desperate for a foundation to root our life in! His name is JESUS!

Paul says that we are rooted and built up in Him. You must take this into your core. It needs to revolutionize the way you think about and live out your faith. Jesus will not be “another thing” in your life. He is supreme and sufficient for all of life!   

Do you see that there is no moving onto other gospels? There is no realizing that God is near when you feel tempted to sin. It’s bigger than that. YOU are IN CHRIST. You are rooted and redefined and built up IN HIM.

The problem is we relegate Jesus to the corner of our lives all too often, and in doing so, we utterly miss who He is to us and who we are in Him. 

Paul is saying, “KNOW WHO YOU ARE IN CHRIST! And STAND FIRM. He is sufficient.” You can’t just dismiss this or say, “Yeah, yeah.”  It must make its way into your SOUL! It must redefine the way you think and feel and pray and interact. If you just don’t get it or you just don’t agree, then I beg you to fall down at the foot of the cross, because you might be devoid of the very satisfaction and power and grace and goodness that Jesus is to you. 

We have to keep going.

Colossians 2:8 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.

The lies of the devil and deception of this world is cunning; it is luring. The experiential lures of elemental spirits are attractive to our flesh. The traditions of man are powerfully alluring, because we want to fit in. Because we want logic to win. Because our flesh wants to be coddled and satisfied with temporary treasures of the here and now.

How does a Christian begin to develop discernment and wisdom? First, we submit every symbol and sign to the authority of the Scriptures.

Church, Paul’s warning is for us, too.

• Just because it is called a Christian music group doesn’t mean they are promoting the truth of the gospel.
• Just because it is called a Christian TV show doesn’t mean what they are teaching is accurate.
• Just because you received the “sign” you asked for doesn’t mean it is cause to act according to your will or desire.
• Just because it is called a Christian movie and deals with topics such as heaven doesn’t mean it is accurate.

In all these things, we must test them and hold them up to Scripture and the counsel of godly plurality.

1 Timothy 4:16 Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers. 

1 John 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 

Brothers and sisters, we must stand firm in Christ and His word on all matters of life and faith. We are so susceptible to popular opinion, to sorcery, intelligent philosophical ideas, or logic. We must STAND FIRM on the only ROCK that will stand: Jesus and His living WORD!

Colossians 2:9-10 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him …

Because Christ is complete, those in Christ are complete!

Being filled is being complete! Nothing lacking. You are filled.   

We are complete in Christ! This means Jesus is sufficient, because despite what Jerry Maguire says, no one else completes you but Jesus.

The problem is all too often those who claim Christ are so busy looking for something to complete them. Our identity and our satisfaction is not found in what we drive, what we wear, who we run with, who we marry, or what our kids accomplish; rather, our identity and satisfaction is complete in who Christ is and what He has done.

Colossians 2:10b who is the head of all rule and authority.

Again, Paul comes back to the Supremacy of Jesus! He keeps reminding us, “This is not just anybody who you are utterly linked to, empowered by, living for and through; He is SUPREME! He is the name above all names.”

This is so much bigger than whatever famous person you ran into once or know personally. This is so much bigger than the sweet contacts you have to get something done.  

JESUS is not just your friend; He is your EVERYTHING.   

The question is are you standing firm and walking every day in this truth?

If He is not enough, then you are an idolater. You still long for something else more than God–more than what you have already been given. Stand firm in Jesus!

Oh, how I pray that we are a people of God who are grounded in God. That we stand firm in Christ. That we hold fast to Christ.

As the storms rage, we stand fast because we are built on the ROCK, who is Jesus!

You cannot just hear this word and be emotionally charged; that is not enough. A good feeling or agreement with these things is not enough.  You must take it into your soul and anchor it to Christ. Repent of the areas of your looking to other gospels or teachings as GOOD, and put your whole self back on Christ.

I am praying for you.

By His grace and for His glory,

Pastor Joshua Kirstine

Disciples Church

Ephesians 6 & Philippians 1- 4 (5.27.23)

Grab your Bible, and let’s dig into Philippians chapter 1.

Paul says in Philippians 1:3, “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you.”

Paul is thankful for his blood-bought family even without their presence. That’s how blessed it is to be in the family of God.

Does your being a part of the family of God cause you to cry out with thanks to God? It means that much to Paul. It means that much to me. To be a part of this ministry is to be a part of a very special family.

Listen how Paul takes this to another level in verse 8:

Philippians 1:8 For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.

Paul is speaking of a family of God with an affection that is greater than other relationships. It is a part of his joy and rejoicing.

It is a part of his reality—his daily reality—that gives him enduring joy.

Does the family of God do this for you?

He says this another way in Romans:

Romans 12:10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.

This is not loving one another just with deeds. It is saying, “Have feelings for each other. Desire relationship and fellowship with each other.” The idea is that our hearts know joy when we are around each other or thinking of each other or praying for each other. Because we are family!

But the word for “love” in Romans 12:10 refers to a special kind of love. It refers to “tender affection, particularly family affection.” So, the verse is calling for Christians to have “tender affection toward each other in family love.”

This is a command for how we are to relate to each other in the body of Christ—we are to feel an affection—a tender affection for each other.

We also read in 1 Peter 1:22 (NASB), “Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart.”

Here again is something much more than treating each other well. Here is something from the heart. Something earnest, something with fervor, something of family affection.

But I think Paul says it best in Philippians 1:8: “For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.”

The word for “affection” is “intestines” or “inner organs.” The idea is, “I long for you and love you, not just with an act of will power, but with deep and tender affections. I miss you. I am homesick for you. I feel.”

Philippians 1:4 says, “always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy.”

I want to break this into two parts of focus: prayer and encouragement.

Pray for One Another

Ephesians 6:18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints

He wants them to know of the real brotherly love he has for them, and that it’s a love that drives him to CONSTANTLY, REGULARLY pray for them. This is a sweet thing, right? When someone is praying for you faithfully, it is very sweet. Like Paul, we are not just called to suit up and sit around. Like Paul models and commands, we are called to suit up and PRAY “AT ALL TIMES.”

We are called to “KEEP ALERT BY MAKING SUPPLICATION FOR ALL THE SAINTS.”

Supplication means prayers. Are you praying for all the saints? Are you praying for one another?

Jesus models praying for his brothers, knowing the war they are in!

Luke 22:31-32 “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”

Paul models this all the time for us. It is a part of his JOY to pray for his blood-bought family: “always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy” (Philippians 1:4).

I love this prayer of Paul:

Ephesians 3:16-19 … according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

In your prayers for yourselves and for one another, are you asking for deepening eyes to see and ears to hear? An attentiveness to the gospel’s 24/7 work and power? That we, too, might be transformed and others around us might take on a new identity entirely from the lies and lostness of the temporary?

We need to pray for one another as an active way of loving and fighting for one another.

Romans 15:30 (NASB) Now I urge you, brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God for me

The basic point of the verse is to motivate the Roman Christians to “strive” or to “struggle” or to “fight”; it’s a strong word—not just pray but strive or struggle or fight—in prayer to God for Paul as he goes to Jerusalem with a contribution for the poor Christians of the city.

Encourage One Another

Both in his prayers and in writing this letter, we see Paul encouraging his family.

It is an encouragement just to know I am being prayed for.

Hebrews 3:13 (NIV) But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.

God commanded that His people encourage each other, because He knows we need it.

In the Gospel of John, Jesus warned that “in this world you will have tribulation,” which He then followed with a much-needed encouragement: “… But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

Romans 15:5 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus

Hear this today: If we are going to truly know and practice encouragement, we must first know the “God of encouragement.”

God cares for His people with a holy passion. The church of Jesus Christ is the blood-bought bride of His Son, and He loves us with a minute-by-minute, omnipotent care. Only in Christ do you have the care and loving engagement of the God of encouragement. Apart from Christ, you rightly sit under the perfect, just wrath of God.

Additionally, the “God of encouragement” has given us the weapon that is designed to defeat these enemies: “… the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17).

Now look at the previous verse in Romans 15.

Romans 15:4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

I pray that we see the joy it is for Paul to pray for and encourage his church family. I pray that you come to know the joy that it is in your life to practice these things. Even when, like Paul, you are in a hard time and maybe feeling lonely, may the ministry of prayer and encouragement be a way to stay joyful and know that you are not alone but connected to an awesome and eternal family.

Philippians 1:5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.

Paul has been praying for them because of their partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. He is acknowledging the special relationship that he has with all of his blood-bought family. His adopted brothers and sisters share an amazing bond—an eternal bond—in Jesus because of the gospel, which brought them new life in Christ and true unity. From their new birth until this point in the exile journey, they are family and partners in the mission God has given them.

Do you think about other Christians this way—even if you hardly know them?

Do you think that you share a partnership in Christ, a gospel partnership, that is a relationship like nothing else?

Think about the different people you meet along the way that truly love Jesus and share your purpose for living. This is truly a joy.

This is why the word says there are to be no divisions among you. Because you are partners in the gospel. You are not partners in a self-serving business venture that can go bad. You are not partners in a relationship where you can break up. You are not partners on a team that has a season, and then it’s over. You are partners in the gospel. Meaning from your new birth in Christ and for the rest of eternity, we are gospel partners. Paul gets this and is reveling in it. He is so pumped by this connection and bond in the gospel and the special mission that God has set before them. He is joyful to pray for them.

Skip verse 6, as we will come back to it in a moment, and look at verse 7 with me:

Philippians 1:7 It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.

Some might say it is strange he is so pumped about someone he hardly knows. They may even say, “I think it is weird that your similar religious convictions create such a strong bond.” But it is not religion or religious similarities. Those are superficial!

What does Paul say it is? He says together they are “… all partakers with me of grace” (Philippians 1:7).

This is why he holds them so dearly in his heart. This is why he feels this way about them. This partaking of grace causes them to run this race together despite what they face—imprisonment, the defense of the gospel, and the confirmation of it. They are suffering, but they endure.

For us to embrace being “partakers of grace,” we must rightly understand grace.

Grace defined: Unmerited favor (or an undeserved gift) given by an unobligated giver.

Grace is a gift from God! He is not obligated to give (His obligation is justice, judgment, wrath). We are not deserving to receive (we deserve His judgment, wrath).

It is in the gospel of grace in which Paul’s joy is grounded. It is like a well springing up to eternal life despite his circumstances.

Ok, moving on. Look back at verse 6 with me:

Philippians 1:6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

Paul is joyful despite his separation from normal life and loved ones in that he understands the faithfulness of God to finish what he began. Paul is joyful, for he understands the saints will endure to the end and persevere to the end. WHY? Because their salvation belongs to the Lord.

Their faith is a gift from God and will endure to the end. How does he know? Because it belongs to God. Notice what he says: “HE who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” Therefore, it is not up to you. If you are free, you are free indeed. If you are truly saved, you are saved forever. God doesn’t make a mistake in anything.

Do you remember we studied this in John chapter 6?

John 6:37b-40 “and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

Here we see the beautiful doctrine known as Perseverance of the Saints.

Listen to the promises of Christ concerning the security of the saved ones as I highlight them here:

John 6:37b “whoever comes to me I will never cast out.”

They will not be cast out. God will not change His mind and reject them later. We did nothing to gain His love or acceptance. We can do nothing to lose it. We are forever His! Forever secure in His power. When the storms rage in your life, do you stand in this assurance?

John 6:39 “… I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.”

We cannot be lost. Every one of His sheep are precious in His sight. Not only are we precious, but we will stand with Him in victory. He will raise us up on the last day.

John 6:40 “For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

Eternal life–not eternal death and destruction.

Philippians 1:6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

Are you SURE? Do you rest on who you are in Christ no matter your circumstances?

He will bring it all to completion. He will finish what He began in you!!!

This is why Paul endures in joy! In what else do we have this kind of assurance and confidence as the house is raging on fire, our child is dying of cancer, our spouse abandons us for another? Only in Jesus. He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion!

Ok finally:

Philippians 1:9-11 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

9a: “And it is my prayer that”

Again, Paul loves his adopted family and is praying for them.

And what is his prayer for them?

9b: “your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment”

What did Jesus tell us about love?

John 13:34 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.”

Mark 12:29-31 Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

1 John 4:19-21 We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.

I could go on and on. We are to walk and talk in love—love for one another and for our enemies.

This doesn’t mean we don’t stand on truth, for love is not love if not in truth.

Notice how he says it abounds—In knowledge and discernment.

The love of God is of God. Therefore, we must know and discern what God says is loving and true.

Not just go with our gut—our instinct—because our flesh is deceitful and self-serving, through and through.

So, Paul is praying that our “love may abound more and more.”

Why? Because it is the love of God that is at work in us and causing us to love others like He loves us.

What is the purpose of this?

10: “so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ”

So that we may approve what is excellent: the things that honor God.

I think it is the process of discerning true faith in Jesus—of a life that honors God.

Why? So we, the people of God, are pure and blameless for the arrival of the Groom—Jesus Christ.

Paul is saying, “This is the primary work, the work of love, of gospel testimony. The work of disciple making, raising up those who are excellent and pure and blameless as they grow in sanctification.”

Why? Because the Groom is coming for His bride. Because this work is the greatest thing in this life that we get to do. It is the joy of our lives to make ready the bride of God for the wedding feast of our Lord.

11a: “filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ”

Where does the power to do these things come from? NOT FROM YOURSELF!

From God, “THROUGH JESUS CHRIST.” The fruit of righteousness or the Holy Spirit is the result of Christ at work in us. I want the tree of my life in Christ to bear much fruit—to be FILLED!

And ultimately, why do we do these things that Paul is praying for the church to do?

11b: “to the glory and praise of God.”

This is my prayer for you and yours as we live to make much of His holy name.

By His grace and for His glory,

Pastor Joshua Kirstine

Disciples Church

Ephesians 1-5 (5.20.23)

Grab your Bible, and let’s go deeper into Ephesians 4.

Ephesians 4:17 Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do …

We are instructed to no longer walk as the Gentiles but instead be conformed to Christ.

Romans 12:1-2 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Do not conform to the world. Conform to Christ.

Conformity: to act in accordance or harmony with the standards, attitudes, and practices of another group or person.

So, the question is, “Who are you conforming to in your life? Whose standards, attitudes, and practices do you live by?” We are called to conform to Jesus, to be known for Jesus, and to look more and more like Jesus.

Romans 8:29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

We are called to not conform to the world—not look like the world—but instead be set apart.

1 Peter 1:14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance

Psalm 1:1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers

Why are we to be set apart?

1. Worship

James 1:27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

“Religion” here means worshipful discipline.James is telling us to live a life of holy discipline as we are refined in the Holy Spirit to be pure and undefiled before God.

• Witness

God has purposefully set us up in His power to live among the dead and preach life.

John 17:15-18 “I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.”

“Sanctify them in the truth.” This is why we must hold fast to the word of God.

Back to Ephesians 4. Paul goes on to clarify the difference between holiness and worldliness.

Ephesians 4:17-19 Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.

It says “in the futility of their minds.”Futility means “void of a useful aim or goal”. This is the same understanding we are given in Romans 1:18-25 and in Ephesians 2:1-3 about those who are in sin and apart from God.

Ephesians 4:19 They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.

This is worldliness! Worldliness is a lifestyle of vice instead of virtue.

A List of Vices from Mark 7:21-22, Rom. 1:24-31, Rom. 13:13 Gal. 5:19-21, 1 Cor 6:9-10, Col 3:5-9, 1 Tim 1:9-10, and Rev 21:8:

–     evil thoughts

–     sexual immorality

–     theft

–     murder

–     adultery

–     coveting

–     wickedness

–     deceit

–     sensuality

–     envy

–     slander

–     pride

–     foolishness

–     idleness

–     practicing homosexuality

–     malice

–     strife

–     gossip

–     hatred of God

–     haughty

–     disobedient to parents

–     ruthless

–     orgies

–     drunkenness

–     quarreling

–     jealousy

–     sorcery

–     enmity

–     fits of anger

–     rivalries

–     dissension

–     division

–     obscene talk

Worldliness is whatever makes sin look normal and righteousness look strange.

Those who live a worldly life live for self instead of God.

1 John 2:15… If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

James 4:4 … whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

We live in a culture right now that is preaching a false gospel of tolerance for sin that promotes a misapplication of grace. The truth is God did not send His Son to die for sinners so that they could go on sinning and justify worldliness in the name of grace.

Romans 6:1 (NIV) What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?

There is a dangerous practice and belief in modern-day Christian circles, which is that if you believe in grace, you will never talk about obedience and holy living. It is a commonly misplaced view among evangelical Christians that if you are gospel-centered, you don’t need to talk about the commands of God that call for obedience and holy living. We are often so focused on all that God has done (His decrees) that we omit the study and practice of what God has called us to do (His commands). In our laziness we are quick to give up the painful walk through God’s refining fire and just rest on our fire insurance.

Hear me loud and clear: The gospel doesn’t say, “Obey so that you can be accepted.”It says, “You are accepted so that you can obey.”

God has saved us by His grace from eternal hell so that we can practice eternal holiness. He has saved us to set us apart. We read this on Monday in Ephesians 1:4: “even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him …”

What is holiness? Holiness means separation. It is a spatial term. When something is holy, it is set apart. God is holy in that He is set apart. He is separate and distinct, not ordinary or common. “… I am God and there is no other” (Isaiah 45:22).

I love Kevin DeYoung’s words in his book The Hole in our Holiness (I highly recommend this book.) DeYoung explains that the topic of holiness and sanctification occur more than 700 times in the holy Scriptures, and “You can’t make sense of the Bible without understanding that God is holy and that this holy God is intent on making a holy people to live with him forever in a holy heaven.”

In our salvation we are set apart, no longer common or profane, and referred to in the New Testament as saints and no longer as sinners. This is commonly referred to as definitive sanctification. However, we are also to be set apart in a continual way as God refines us in His fire of progressive sanctification.

Being set apart is not just “rule keeping.”

John 14:15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”

It is this and more. The Pharisees kept the rules “religiously” but missed true sanctified holiness that is the result of God refining their hearts and lives. So, holiness is not just external modifications; it is change at our core.

Holiness is the opposite of worldliness

A List of Virtues from Romans 12:9-21, 1 Cor 13:4-7, Gal 5:22-23, Col 3:12-15, and 2 Peter 1:5-7:

• honorable
• hopeful
• hospitable
• empathetic
• doer of good
• kind
• enduring
• humble
• truthful
• loving
• joyful
• peaceable
• patient
• kind
• faithful
• gentle
• self-controlled
• compassionate
• forgiving
• harmonious
• thankful
• knowledgeable
• steadfast
• godly
• affectionate

DeYoung says later, “You can think of holiness, to employ a metaphor, as the sanctification of your body. The mind is filled with the knowledge of God and fixed on what is good. The eyes turn away from sensuality and shudder at the sight of evil. The mouth tells the truth and refuses to gossip, slander, or speak what is coarse or obscene. The spirit is earnest, steadfast, and gentle. The heart is full of joy instead of hopelessness, patience instead of irritability, kindness instead of anger, humility instead of pride, and thankfulness instead of envy. The sexual organs are pure, being reserved for the privacy of marriage between one man and one woman. The feet move toward the lowly and away from senseless conflict, divisions, and wild parties. The hands are quick to help those in need and ready to fold in prayer. This is the anatomy of holiness.”

Back to our text in Ephesians.

Ephesians 4:20-21 But that is not the way you learned Christ!—assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus

Let’s start at the end here. The truth is in Jesus—there is no new life apart from Christ. You are lost in lies. Only in Christ are you illuminated with truth that is unto new life. This is the only way one can begin to be set apart. Without discernment, there is no separation. Without separation, there is no holiness.

So, what do we see here? You have “learned Christ.” This is His way of saying that you are saved. You have heard about him. You were saved because you were given ears to hear and eyes to see. You heard! Those saved by Christ are no longer like those who are “darkened in their understanding,” according to Ephesians 4:18. You are taught in Him. In Christ you are discipled, trained, taught, and refined.

He is establishing here, for those of you who are saved in Christ, that you are not like the world any longer; you have heard, been taught, and learned about Jesus. He is yours, and you are His!

Reading further:

Ephesians 4:22-24 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds,and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

“Put off” and “put on” are action phrases. We are instructed to “practice” righteousness—to obey God’s law, to put off the old self (fight indwelling sin), and to put on the new self (grow in holiness). This is a problematic area in the modern church because Christians have become guilty of lofty notions about how to change the world but often are slowest in our willingness to plead that God would deeply change us.

Soldiers, we must get this! Holiness is not an option for believers; it is the very thing God has saved us to do.

Matthew 5:16 “… let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

Words that are set apart for holiness

Ephesians 4:25 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.

Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

My question for you, personally, today is, “Is God redeeming your speech?” This is not an area in which we get to be lazy. The writer of Proverbs says the tongue has the power of life and death (Proverbs 18:21). “The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood, but the mouth of the upright delivers them” (Proverbs 12:6).

Do you understand the power of your words? Are you using words to build people up or to destroy them? Are they filled with bitterness or blessing; complaining or compliments; lust or love; victory or defeat?

We need to understand that as God grows us, He is going to refine our language. You could have 30 years of your dad having trained you to talk like a sailor, but your heavenly Father is able to supernaturally train your language to be holy and honoring.

I want our club to help each other be accountable to this area of our sanctification. Let’s be willing to lovingly remind each other and help each other grow a new dialogue that glorifies God. Let’s not be ashamed to repent when we let slip a dishonoring word.

Emotions that are set apart for holiness

Ephesians 4:26-27 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.

Ephesians 4:31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.

There is a righteous anger modeled in the Scriptures that is a God-given emotion. This anger is troubled at things that don’t glorify God. This is what we are taught here: be angry without sin. In other words, there is a righteous anger that is not taken to the point of consuming our hearts.

Our identity must remain in Christ and not in our circumstances. When we are over-affected by our circumstances, we open the door for the devil to lay claim to our emotions. Do others see a sanctification in your emotional state? More peace and joy despite hard times?

In my opinion, this is one of the greatest ways our testimony shines.

Actions that are set apart for holiness

Ephesians 4:28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.

I love this verse because it is purely and simply a testimony of a transformed life. This is what God is doing in us after salvation.

The thief on the cross was saved and not given the opportunity to be sanctified and to redeem his old ways with new, holy ways that honor God. But you and I are given that opportunity, so we need to be willing to challenge the things we are currently doing—our actions (the things we do with our lives, our bodies, and our time). For many, this might mean changing the hobbies you have or even changing what you do for a living. But also, it might mean the simpler things of daily life like what we choose to enjoy for entertainment.

Ephesians 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Ephesians 4:32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Brothers and sisters, we need to be attentive to these things. This is not something we can casually or flippantly go about doing. We must understand that we are set apart for holiness. I am praying for you in this.

Don’t go at this alone. Get together and dig in. Be accountable, be humble, submit your life to the word daily, repent, and most of all trust in Jesus every day.

By His grace and for His glory,

Pastor Joshua Kirstine

Disciples Church

Galatians 2-6 (5.13.23)

Grab your Bible, and let’s go deeper into Galatians 6.

Read: Galatians 6:1-5

Right out the door, we see Paul is speaking to Christians who are or have been falling into sin (verse 1), working through suffering and troubles (verse 2) and struggling with jealousy and comparisons (verses 3-5). What Paul is doing here is building on chapter five’s teaching on “those who walk in the Spirit will have the fruit of the spirit.”He is now saying to those Spirit filled Christians, “Here are some practical responses of how the Spirit through you cares for people who are struggling in these matters.”

Let’s break it down: Who is Paul saying we should help?

Galatians 6:1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression …

We should help a brother or sister in Christ! As a general rule, Christians are not to confront non-Christians about sinful behavior, because what they need to change is not accountability. They need the power to change, which only comes in Christ. They need Jesus—not reprimand.

Accountability and exhortation are for the redeemed family of God. Non-believers cannot understand the ways of godly living because they are spiritually dead. Their entire spiritual solar system is out of whack. To become a Christian is to gain a completely new center to your solar system. It is only through Christ that godly living is understandable and doable.

Accountability is for a brother or sister in Christ who is caught in any transgression or “caught in sin.” This is sin that is repeated, being practiced unrepentantly, or sin that is clearly evident. “Caught”means the person is in a state of blindness or denial, as they somehow persist in believing they are not out of step with the gospel. They need to be woken from their drunken stupor of sin. Side note: If a person brings up their own sin, they are not caught; they are seeking repentance and help, and this is different. The person you catch in sin must be woken up. This typically means a more direct and serious consequence.

First of all, who should do this restoring? “… you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness.” You who are spiritual.

This is not saying the spiritually elite, the robe wearers, those who have “tenure” in their faith. This is not left only to the leaders and overseers of our organization. No, “you who are spiritual” is anyone who is walking in Holy Spirit. Anyone who is walking in the Holy Spirit can and should do this. Why? Because the Spirit will lead and not your pride! It is someone who is “led by the Spirit” (Gal 5:18), “walking by the Spirit” (Gal 5:16, 25), “bearing the fruit of the Spirit” (Gal 5:22, 23).

He is saying, “If you are walking by the Spirit and as a result the fruit of the Spirit is coming out of you, there is work to be done. An assignment has been given to you: brothers and sisters in Christ who need your humble, kind, patient service to come alongside them.”  This is how God has set the table for us to be able to thrive in the midst of a bloody and hard battle.

What is Paul saying we, “who are Spiritual,” should do?  Answer: The Ministry of Truth and the Ministry of Tears. As the fruit of the Spirit moves through us, it is beneficial to our bothers and sisters in Christ and propels us into two ministries or responses to sin or struggle in the family. One is when we are direct in love with truth, and the other is when we are empathetic in love with tears.

The Ministry of Truth

In John 11, Mary and Martha are found mourning Lazarus’s death. Upon Jesus’ arrival, Martha says to Jesus, “If you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Jesus says, “He will live.” She says, “Yes, on resurrection day.”  Jesus looks at her and says, “I am the Resurrection!” He sets her straight. This is the Ministry of TRUTH. Sometimes we just need the truth, plain and simple. Because God is Truth! The Church is called to admonish each other in the TRUTH of God. This is the foundation of what we, the body of Christ, are to do.

Colossians 1:28 (NASB) We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, that we may present every man complete in Christ.

The Ministry of Truth is this: you who are spiritual should “restore him in a spirit of gentleness.”Restore, in Greek (ka-tart-izo), translates as “to return to former condition; to set a dislocated bone back into place.” Now we don’t run up to each other every time we see what looks like a sin or struggle and look to set them straight in God’s truth. Only when another believer is caught or the sin is evident do we seek this approach. 1 Corinthians 13:7 teaches us that love gives the benefit of the doubt..”Many of us need to work on this.

Warning: As we approach our brothers and sisters in Christ to correct and admonish and restore, our flesh can wrongfully motivate us to do this pridefully.Paul warms of this in Galatians 6:3-5: “For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. For each will have to bear his own load.” This is not a warning against correcting and admonishing and restoring a person; it is a warning against doing it arrogantly. He says, “Since we all struggle with pride, make every effort to humble yourself when you point out someone else’s sin.” The way to avoid pride as you confront a brother about his sin is to act only in the power of the Spirit. Remember you are a basket case of sin apart from God’s gracious Spirit.

On Monday, we read in Galatians 2 about Paul admonishing Peter for being out of step with the gospel. Paul was loving Peter enough to set the bone straight and return him to truth. This is the Ministry of Truth. But some of you are thinking, “That is just not me. I just am not comfortable telling someone else they are out of place or out of line.” This is very common! And this brings up the question:

Why should we admonish one another?

1. Because we are command to.
2. Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom …
3. Luke 17:3 “Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him.”
4. 2 Thessalonians 3:14-15 As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good. If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed. Do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.

Whether it’s a formal process in response to some egregious error or misstep or the informal, everyday exhortations that are to happen in the life of Christian community, all biblical correction aims at repentance of sin and restoration unto God-honoring righteousness! Let me give a big example of each:

An example of formal admonishment, rebuke, and reproof can be found inMatthew 18:15-17.

An example of daily admonishment, rebuke, and reproof can be found inHebrews 3:12-13.

• Because It is loving and kind to do so! Any righteous rebuke is a kindness. Psalm 141:5 says, “Let a righteous man strike me — it is a kindness; let him rebuke me — it is oil for my head; let my head not refuse it …”The psalmist is saying it is kindness to be admonished. Why? Because it is not loving to leave people in their mess. One of the most loving things you can do for someone is tell them when they’re wrong.

Now, back to Galatians, and let’s look at the other ministry we are to practice. 

The Ministry of Tears

Mary also comes up to Jesus at Lazarus’s death and says, “If you had only been here.” Jesus’ response to Mary is different than His response to Martha. What does he say? Nothing! He weeps with her.  John 11:35 says, “Jesus Wept.” With this, we see the Ministry of Tears.Sometimes what our brother or sister needs is for us to help them carry the burden they are feeling by empathetically understanding their pain and struggle.

Galatians 6:2 Bear one another’s burdens …

First of all, burdens are different than the transgressions we find in verse 1. Burdens are not sin; they are the basic hardships that come with life. “Bear one another’s burdens” means if a Christian brother or sister is weighed down or menaced by some burden or threat, we must be alert to quickly do something to help. Don’t let them be crushed.  Don’t let them be destroyed. Don’t be like the Scribes and Pharisees to them. Jesus warned us of their ways when he said in Matthew 23:4, “They bind heavy burdens hard to bear and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with their finger.”

To help bear the burden means you help carry it; you join them in the struggle. Examples of this could be helping paying a bill, sitting at the hospital, helping with projects, loaning a car or bike, taking someone into your home, giving someone something you have that they need more, praying with them, and more.

Wouldn’t it be great to belong to a family of believers who loved each other so much that they simply could not look the other way while a brother or sister hardens into a habit of sin or is overwhelmed by life? Let’s be that family! If we are not, we will not fulfill the law of Christ.

Galatians 6:2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

Now, a critical question is how can we do this for each other without it overwhelming us? The reason we can bear each other’s burdens is because of Jesus. Jesus was crushed for our iniquities, our transgressions. Psalm 34:18-19 says, “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.”

Jesus was crushed for our iniquities—our transgressions—so we could fulfill the law of Christ, which is to practice other-centered love.

What exactly is the LAW of Christ? The law of Christ is the principle of LOVE!  Jesus said in John 13:34, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.”So, in Christ, we fulfill the law of Christ, which is  sacrificial love! It is this love that causes us to practice the Ministry of Truth and the Ministry of Tears.

Galatians 6:10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

Christ was crushed for our iniquities and transgressions so that we could bear each other’s burdens in His power and not our own, with Him getting the credit and not ourselves, with His glory in mind and not our own. It is Christ’s victory in us. It is His work that restores us so that we can, in His power, help restore others!

There is no other gospel! There is no other GOOD NEWS! There is no other lasting JOY. There is no other way to gain transformation from addiction and slavery and death. There is no other way to truly change from the inside out and grow the fruit of the Spirit. There is nothing you can add to Jesus to make this life better. It’s Jesus. And Jesus alone! AMEN?

This is who we boast in. I have done nothing! You have done nothing to earn ANY of it. We have nothing to boast in but Jesus!

Galatians 6:14 (NASB) … may it never be that I would boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ …

This means no boasting, no exulting, no rejoicing, no thanksgiving in anything except in the cross. Why? Because every dream dreamed for our future and every plan formed, and every disciple raised up and every soul saved by God is blood-bought mercy for us redeemed sinners, because apart from the cross all we deserve is condemnation. Therefore, every exultation, every thanksgiving, every boast, every joy is in Jesus!

Boasting in the cross happens when you have taken up your cross.

Galatians 6:14 (NASB) But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

 In other words, the world is dead to me, and I am dead to the world. Why?

The best verse in all of Galatians:

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Paul was ravished by the love of Christ. He was utterly mastered—held captive–by one great scene in history: a cross on Golgotha, and on it the Son of God who loved us and gave Himself for us.

May it be this way for us also! May we live out a Ministry of Truth and Tears.

I conclude with what Paul concludes with in Galatians:

Galatians 6:18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.

By His grace and for His glory,

Pastor Joshua Kirstine

Disciples Church

Luke 21-24 & Galatians 1 (5.6.23)

Grab your Bible and let’s go deeper into Galatians 1.

Read Galatians 1:1-5.

In this opening salutation, Paul gets right to preaching the gospel to the people in Galatia.

What is the gospel?

• It is the truth that God reigns supreme over all created things. Everything is from Him, through Him, to Him, and is for His glory forever and ever. That’s Romans 11.

• It is the truth that man has turned away from God’s glory in sin to make their lives about their own glory; man worships the idol of creation instead of God. That’s Romans 1 and 3.

• It is the truth that because of our sin, we deserve the righteous eternal wrath of God. That’s Romans 6.

• It is the truth that by God’s amazing grace, He saves sinners by the perfect shed blood of Christ, based on Jesus’ perfect life, sacrificial death, and victorious resurrection. That’s Romans 3.

• It is the truth that those whom God gives ears to hear and eyes to see, who repent of sin and self and trust wholly in Jesus Christ alone for salvation and lordship, He justifies and adopts as His own for eternity. That’s Romans 8.

The Word of Truth Catechism defines it this way:

The gospel is the good news of the grace and power of God to redeem undeserving sinners to eternal life through Jesus’ perfect, sinless life; substitutional, sacrificial death; and victorious resurrection from the grave. These sinners are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus alone from the eternal wrath they deserved, and they are reconciled into an eternally secure relationship with God.

This is THE GOOD NEWS. The word gospel means “news.” THE GOSPEL OF JESUS = THE GOOD NEWS!

There is no other news that has been, or ever will be, bigger than this.

The Scriptures teach us there is only one true gospel. The only one way to have lasting joy, real hope, total pardon from sin, and life everlasting with God is Jesus.

Only Jesus perfectly lived the life you and I failed to live.

Only Jesus paid the penalty in death that you and I should pay for eternity.

Only Jesus produces in us the redeemed life you and I could never attain on our own.

This is the good news! But, the problem in Galatia was that new Christians were being taught there was more to it than Jesus. This is a problem we still face today.

Read Galatians 1:6-7.

What is a false gospel?

It is any “news” that proclaims to change your life based on a savior or lord who is not Jesus Christ.

It is any “news” that proclaims to change your life with a different instruction or revelation that is not God’s holy word.

Some false gospels are easy to recognize because they are proclamations from Looneyville. But many are harder to discern because they claim Scripture and Jesus to be central to their belief.

Many false gospels are simply perversions or variations of the one true gospel.

What they will say is, “Oh, we are God’s people. We believe in the Bible, too. We believe in Jesus.” What they do is take the Scriptures and then lay another teaching or extra-biblical revelation over them.

For example:

• Mormons will claim the holy Scriptures and Jesus, but then lay the revelation of Joseph Smith over them.
• Jehovah’s Witnesses will claim the Scriptures, but then lay the teachings of Charles Taze Russel and the Watchtower Society over them.
• Christian Scientists will lay the teachings of science and health from Mary Baker Eddy over the Scriptures.
• Roman Catholics will claim the Holy Scriptures and Jesus as Lord, but then wrongly add the authority of the Pope and the church and the writings of the Apocrypha over them.

Whatever the agenda (Socialism/Marxism, Prosperity Capitalism, Moralistic Therapeutic Deism, etc.), if it seeks to add to or modify the pure gospel teaching of Scripture then you have a false gospel.

A false gospel is any teaching that is not solely rooted in the living word of God (the 66 books of the historic cannon of the holy Bible) and the authority and work alone of Jesus Christ.

A false gospel is any teaching that doesn’t say with clarity that all of us are, by nature, wicked and dead in our sin. In ourselves, we are without hope for eternal life or even the ability to pursue eternal life apart from the atoning work of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, and the sovereign work of the living God alone who redeems His people for His eternal glory and our eternal joy.

Paul is bringing a very important clarity, which is this:

The gospel of Jesus is not inclusive in that it’s not many ways to be redeemed and reconciled to God. It is exclusive–Jesus alone is the way, the truth, and the life. That is not an inclusive statement. The cross of Christ cannot and does not “COEXIST” with, or “include”, any other religion.

This is an aggressive denial of a common modern belief called Universalism or Pluralism! Universalism says everyone who dies will go to heaven and be reconciled to God someway somehow. Pluralism says all religious paths are equally valid and can, and should, coexist.

The common statement by grieving people who have lost loved ones is, “They are in a better place.” But if they had no true repentance and belief in Jesus alone prior to death then that person had no redemption from their sin guilty by the substitutional atonement of Jesus Christ. Still, some people cling to the false gospel that their unbelieving loved ones will be accepted because they were generally thought of as a good person.

Hear this today very clearly: There is no accurate biblical teaching that a person can go on rejecting the gospel of Christ and still be saved.

There are other man-made religions besides true, biblical Christianity, and there are other man-ordained authorities that seek to override Scripture; but there is no other gospel, no other good news of salvation other than grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, based on holy Scripture alone, for the glory of God alone.

This is what Paul is fired up about. People in Galatia were being lied to and led astray. The false gospel Paul was specifically confronting was the Judaizers’ teaching that in addition to Jesus, you needed to be circumcised and act like a Jew to be right with God.

Instead of the good news being, “Jesus saves us by His power,” they were teaching: It is Jesus’ work and you also need to … (fill in the blank).

This is “Jesus PLUS” language. This is a false gospel! This teaching is adding to what the Scriptures clearly teach—Jesus alone saves us and redeems us. We can do nothing to add to, help, or assist our salvation.

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Anytime you hear someone say, “You need Jesus … (plus something else).” STOP! And be warned! All we need is Jesus. Period. That is the good news. Jesus paid it all. It is an undeserved gift of epic proportions.

It is Jesus’ work for Jesus’ glory, and it is our utter privilege to be called by God into it. There is nothing else you and I can do. The Bible says even our faith is a gift from God.

Philippians 1:29 For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake.

God made it this way so that He gets all the glory, and not you or me. He made it this way so that we have nothing to boast in.

I encourage people all the time to stop testifying, “This is the day I accepted Jesus.” I encourage a change in how this is said not only because it is not a biblical statement, but also because in even the smallest way, it is a boasting in oneself—“Let me tell you about the day that I did this.”

Instead, I encourage people to proclaim, “This is the day that God saved me.” This way, all praise and glory go to God. “He chose me, He pursued me while I was His enemy and in His timing He awakened my depraved heart of stone to see and savor His gospel—He gave me faith in Jesus alone. Jesus did the work needed to earn my salvation—work that I could not do. And Jesus claimed for me eternal victory and right standing with God. All praise to God!”

We have nothing to brag about. Only Jesus. The good news is Jesus! Nothing else.

It is not Jesus … plus something else. He is our means and our prize! Our victory! Our greatest JOY! Jesus is not the means to another end. He is the prize.

Why is the gospel of Jesus “The good news”? One word: grace. Look at verses 3-5 again.

• Did you and I do anything to deserve the Son of God to come to earth and be tortured in our place, so we could be pardoned from our selfish rebellion against Him? NO!
• Was He obligated to do this anyway? NO!

That’s why it is called grace! Grace is unmerited favor, or an undeserved gift, given by an unobligated giver.

If you want to sum up what distinguishes Christianity from everything else, it is the gospel of grace. We are saved by grace, which means by nothing we have done.

What the Judaizers were teaching the Galatians was that they needed to “do” something else to be in the true family of God—they needed to get circumcised and act like Jews.

Next, Paul says we are to look very carefully for those who proclaim false gospels, even among those who claim to be in the church or who claim to be connected to God.

Read Galatians 1:8-9.

Many modern-day, self-proclaimed Christian teachers, preachers, and churches are the greatest danger to true Christianity. False teachers trying to satisfy fleshly desires will preach false gospels to gather a crowd, get rich, and/or start a movement.

Brothers/Sisters, just because it’s on TV, it is a big church, or the leader is likable, that doesn’t mean the true gospel is what is being preached. The worst thing we could do is think, “They talk about Jesus, so it can’t be that bad.” No, it can be that bad—bad enough to convince lost people who are under God’s wrath they are saved when they are not.

The testimony we are called to bring to the lost world is not one of pandering to others’ man-made beliefs that somehow they are good with God because of their (fill in the blank) point of view. Instead, our call is to testify the true, life-altering, exclusive gospel of Jesus Christ alone to them and trust in God’s perfect will and timing to set them free.

Finally, read Galatians 1:10.

Let me ask you, “Who are you trying to please?”

Often, we are working so hard to try to please someone else, to win the approval of man. We desire to be accepted by our loved ones, our work associates, others we associate with so we can be known and liked.

Often, we are looking to meet the approval of ourselves—trying so hard to get to a level of life we think we should be at, such as the way we look, our intelligence, the accomplishments we have made, the success of our kids.

God is making clear to us in this passage today that, “There is no other Gospel.” There is no other “good news” you can get from anyone else, or you can tell yourself, that will ultimately satisfy you and eternally save you from deserved eternal death.

Jesus is the only One who ultimately pleased God and the good news is that He satisfied God’s perfect wrath on our behalf, so we could be a part of the family forever.

In Christ, we have a new identity! We are accepted because of what Christ alone has done. This is the good news of Jesus!

Like Paul, the greatest joy in my life is to be a servant of Jesus: to be a solider for Jesus: to be a child of God!   Brothers/Sisters, hold fast to, and proclaim, no other gospel than “Christ alone.”

By His grace and for His glory,

Pastor Joshua Kirstine

Disciples Church