WEBVTT
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Well, good morning again, everyone, and thank you, Jay and Rick.
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You're you know, you seem to nail it pretty regularly when it comes to our uh our worship music and uh connecting with the uh with the message.
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Today it's uh it's pretty simple, but something we uh we stress over and we well, we fuss and fume, and that but it's simple and it's entitled Grace Alone.
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And over the past two weeks we've been following, of course, the story of Paul.
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Week one, we met Saul on the road to Damascus, and uh well, he encountered Jesus in a mighty way, his life was turned around, and we discovered in our travels with uh with Saul that God wants more than just to turn us around, he also wants to give us someplace to go.
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And so last week we saw how Paul and Barnabas set out uh from the church in Antioch, and the gospel was on the move, which of course is the theme of our uh of our series.
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So they traveled, they preached, they encountered, well, they encountered stones, because Paul was stoned at one part.
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That wasn't a great day.
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Uh but they encountered people and well, they encountered life.
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But churches were formed.
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So today we're gonna leave the book of Acts and just have a look at the book of Galatians because it it contains a topic that was right at the heart of Paul, and uh, of course, the understanding of the gospel as he saw it, and it's one word, grace.
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Just bow your head with me for a moment.
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Well, Lord, um, thank you for the words that you've given me to share this morning.
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As we listen to Paul's teaching and unpack it together, help us um well, help us to hear the good news at the heart of our faith.
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So show us your grace and teach us to receive it well, and more importantly, help us to extend it to others.
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In Jesus' name.
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Amen.
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Well, Galatians.
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Paul in this book is not happy.
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Um, if you look through some of the Old Testament or New Testament uh letters of Paul, they're they're quite flowery, they're quite uh quite friendly.
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He gives thanks for many, many things.
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But uh in Galatians, he's a little prickly.
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Um and so why?
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Well, it's pretty simple.
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And uh we pick it up in verse 6 where he says, I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you to himself through the loving mercy of Christ.
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You are following a different way that pretends to be the good news, but is not the good news at all.
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You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ.
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Let God's curse fall on anyone, including us, or even an angel from heaven, who preaches a different kind of good news than the one we preach to you.
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I say again what we have done and what's said before, if anyone preaches any news other than the good news, the one you welcomed, let that person be cursed.
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So as you can see, Paul is not happy.
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He gets right to the point, not a lot of flowery prose, and he goes right after them.
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Well, why did Paul write this?
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He wasn't looking for an opportunity to write a theological essay.
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I mean, he was a scholar, so loved to write letters and communicate for sure, but something had gone terribly wrong.
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And Paul is concerned, and this book is probably the most emotionally intense of his New Testament letters.
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Um again, some normally there's lots of thanksgiving, there's lots of you know, give and take, and lots of flowery kind of prose.
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Um, you know, I'm grateful, I've heard about your love.
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But in Galatians, of course, he he dives right in.
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I'm shocked.
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Well, what does that mean?
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Well, what was happening is the churches in Galatia, which um, in case Marianne was here and wanted to play Stump the Pastor, Galatia is now Turkey today.
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Um, so somewhere way over there.
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Um, they had heard about Jesus, they had received Jesus, they had believed, and they received the Holy Spirit.
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They had become part of the people of God, but now other teachers had come along and were basically saying Jesus is important, but Jesus isn't enough.
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You need Jesus and circumcision, you need Jesus and the law, you need Jesus and taking on the markers of your Jewish identity.
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So you needed Jesus, plus you needed to keep the Torah.
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And of course, Paul emphatically says, no.
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And this isn't a little disagreement around among religious people and religious practice, it goes to the heart of the gospel.
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How does a person get right with God?
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Well, it's through what Jesus has done, of course, but it's certainly not because what Jesus has done, plus all the other stuff that goes along with it, and it comes down to one word, grace.
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That's how we're made right with God.
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So why was this such a big deal?
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Well, the early church was wrestling with a big question.
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What happens when Gentiles become followers of Jesus?
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Because remember, Jesus was Jewish, so he was operating in a Jewish culture, and now the church is on the move.
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The apostles were Jewish, the scriptures that they read were Jewish, the first followers of Jesus would have grown up within the story of Israel, but then the gospel started moving out, and now Gentiles are believing in Jesus.
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So people who weren't Jewish, people who hadn't grown up keeping the Jewish law, people who didn't have the same religious background, and probably had a little interest in being circumcised.
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So you have this division, don't you?
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So now the church has to wrestle with do Gentiles have to become Jewish in order to be fully part of God's people?
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And some people were simply saying yes, because that was their lived experience.
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And Paul emphatically says no.
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And this is where we need to understand the intensity of this argument.
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This was a big, big deal.
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Paul isn't saying don't worry about a few rules, he's saying do not add requirements.
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Don't put requirements alongside the gospel that Jesus never required.
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You can't tell people Jesus saves you.
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However, you need to do a few other things to really belong.
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And if you do that, you've changed the message.
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It's very simple.
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You've gone from grace to achievement.
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You know, from the gift of God's grace to qualifying for it, from receiving to earning.
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And see, Paul knew exactly where that road led.
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And I think this is why his language is so strong.
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You know, if anyone is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, then let them be under God's curse.
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That's a big deal.
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Now, I can remember doing Galatians in seminary, and someone made the comment, boy, Paul needs to chill.
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Paul needs to calm down.
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He's a little, he's a little edgy.
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But why wouldn't he be?
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I mean, as I think back, you know, we receive God's grace, but then God uses our personality to do great things.
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So I don't think Paul's personality had changed much.
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He was pretty strong.
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He was a highly competent debater, teacher.
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He was really intense when he believed in something.
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So now Jesus has met him, and now his strength is being turned in a different direction.
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Jesus is using him.
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So Paul clearly knows what's at stake here.
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Because the people in Galatia, you know, they're not simply changing a few religious preferences.
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Well, this could work for me, this could work for you.
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They're beginning to turn and believe that Jesus is not enough.
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And maybe I need to hedge my bets a little bit.
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And uh Paul's not going to allow it.
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Full stop.
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He wants them to understand that the gospel is not Jesus plus something else, the gospel is Jesus.
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And Paul really takes us personally.
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Any study I've done on Paul, um, he is a fascinating guy.
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He takes things quite personally.
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Um but here he's not defending an idea that you know was invented in the classroom.
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He's defending the gospel that transformed him.
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It changed his life, it stopped him in his tracks.
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So Paul knew what it was like to build his identity around a religious achievement, because that was the law.
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He'd been a Pharisee, he knew the law.
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He probably knew the law better than most people.
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He had the credentials, he had the pedigree, and as we know, he was zealous.
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He was disciplined, and he was, by his own description, righteous under the law.
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So he had a religious resume that was impressive.
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Then he met Jesus.
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And as we've seen, everything changed.
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So it's no doubt that he would take this personally.
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When the persecutor becomes the apostle or the apostle and the enemy becomes a servant, well, it changes your life.
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And so he's watching other Christians being told, oh, Jesus is good, but again, you need you need just a little more.
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And of course, Paul knew exactly where that led, and uh he was having none of it.
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So Paul is ultimately defending one word, and it's grace.
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Grace.
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All the old hymns come to mind.
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You know, we talk about it a lot, we pray for it.
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But what do we mean by grace?
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Well, at the simplest, I think grace is just God's generosity to us.
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It's undeserved.
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But we receive it anyways.
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Grace is God's love reaching towards us before we've cleaned ourselves up.
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And that's a big difference.
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Before we've cleaned ourselves up.
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Grace is a gift.
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It's important uh because most of us understand how the world works.
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So grace is not a reward for good behavior.
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You know, in our world, you work, you get paid, you perform, you get promoted, you do well, you get recognized, or you mess up, then you face consequences.
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We understand in our society today how to keep score.
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We're really good at keeping score.
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And see, and grace operates completely differently.
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Grace just says you're loved before you've earned it.
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There is no keeping score.
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So you're welcomed before you've proved yourself.
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You're invited before you have everything figured out, and that's a beautiful thing.
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You know, some of us have fallen hard in a variety of situations, and grace is knowing that you're loved before you've figured out how to put it back together or how to start over.
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And uh, you know, maybe that's why it's so difficult for us to receive.
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Because grace takes away our ability to say, I did this on my own.
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Because we're achievers, we like to do things, we like to accomplish things on our own.
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And uh again, grace just takes that away.
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It's a gift.
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We can all face the temptation to add to or hedge our bats, as I like to say.
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And I think as if you read through Galatians, and it's a it's an easy read, it's uh five chapters, um I can see why Paul is so so worried.
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Um we receive grace, but then slowly over time we add things.
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You know, um church attendance, uh being in the right place at the right time, um, making sure we're totally aligned with the way we think ought to be, keeping all the rules.
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Maybe it's making sure everybody thinks we're doing okay when we're really not.
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And suddenly we've moved from Jesus has saved me to Jesus has saved me, and now I need to kind of keep proving that I'm worthy of that gift.
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And that's that's dangerous, and it's so easy to do, and it's subtle because the Galatians weren't necessarily rejecting Jesus outright, they were simply just adding to it.
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And uh Paul says, in no uncertain terms, that's enough to corrupt the gospel, because once grace becomes something we have to supplement that it isn't grace anymore.
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Now, Paul tells us to remember how we started, and we've all are on different kinds of planes on our faith journey, but uh in in Galatians and chapter 3, he just asks, Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by believing what you heard?
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In other words, how did this begin?
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How did God give you the Holy Spirit?
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Because, well, did he give it to you because you're good enough?
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No.
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It's because you heard the gospel, you believed, and you received.
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So grace came first.
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So Paul invites them and in turn us to remember our stories and remember that we didn't earn our way into the family of God.
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We receive the gospel and we receive the Spirit and therefore receive grace.
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So we don't turn around and make performance the foundation of the Christian life.
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And that's hard.
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I acknowledge that.
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That's really, really hard to do in a culture that's so performance-driven.
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So, some thoughts on how we play with this on a daily basis.
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Well, we remember, number one, that grace always comes first.
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God's love isn't a response to our goodness.
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Our goodness is meant to be a response to God's love.
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So we think of our children, our grandchildren.
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A healthy parent doesn't say, once you behave well enough, I'll love you.
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Well, maybe you might think it from time to time, but um, no.
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You know, you never say, once you behave well enough, I'll love you.
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Our children are loved.
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And then because they're loved, you know, families work out how to live within that love and with the boundaries.
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And that's exactly the same as our relationship with God.
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We don't obey so that God will love us.
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We learn to obey because God loves us and desires a relationship with us.
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And therefore, one of His one of you know God's uh desires for us is to serve, is to serve like Jesus.
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But we don't serve so that God will accept us.
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We serve because we've been accepted already.
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So remember, grace always comes first, and then that changes everything from there.
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Sometimes grace is a little misunderstood.
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And I think it's an area we need to be careful.
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Uh if grace means God loves us regardless of what we do, does that mean that what we do doesn't matter?
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And Paul's answer is no.
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What you do matters a lot.
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Grace may be free, but as he puts it, it is not it is not cheap.
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The grace of God doesn't simply forgive our past and leave us exactly where we are.
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Grace changes us.
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Paul talks about that in Galatians 5.
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It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.
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And notice that freedom, Paul isn't replacing one system of religious performance with another, but calling us into an entirely different relationship.
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Paul says, we've been set free.
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Free from having to prove yourself, free from having to establish your worth, and free from having to become acceptable through our own performance.
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And once we're free, then we can begin to live differently and look at things through a Jesus-centered lens.
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And so it changes your life.
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And hopefully the way you live your life on a daily basis.
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But again, not to earn God's love, but because we already have it.
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So maybe again, without hammering our way at this too hard, but it's something we really need to remember.
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We don't need to do good things to get God's love.
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We do it again because we've already received God's love.
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And that's a huge difference.
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And I think of people helping other people in need.
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One person thinks, maybe if I do enough good things, maybe God will be pleasing.
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And the other thinks, God has been so generous to me, how can I not be generous to somebody else?
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They may do the exact same task, but the motivation is completely different.
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One trying to earn, the other is simply responding.
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And that's what Paul's saying about the the Christian life.
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It's simply a response to the grace of God.
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I think the most important thing is maybe the last here, grace changes how we see ourselves.
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And I've learned that if my relationship with God depends on my performance, it's like living on a roller coaster.
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Good week, I feel pretty close to God.
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You know, things seem to be in sync.
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Then some weeks, not so good, a little off the tracks a little bit, just not necessarily going the way I'd want it to go.
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And I wonder, is God disappointed in me?
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When I pray regularly, I feel spiritual.
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And if I miss a few days or I get too busy, it's easy to feel like you failed.
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But God's grace gives us a foundation that is so much more stable when our identity isn't based on our performance.
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It's based on the love of God.
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And that doesn't mean our failures don't matter.
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They do.
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Actions have consequences, of course.
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But our grace is based on the love of God.
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You know, grace never calls evil good.
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Grace doesn't remove consequences.
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Grace doesn't mean we do not need repentance.
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We do.
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But it means that our failures do not have to be our identity.
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We can confess, we can repent, we can get back up, because our relationship with God rests not on our performance, but on God's faithfulness towards us.
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And that's the uncomfortable part of this book sometimes.
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And I'd encourage you to read it with that lens if you go back and read it this week.
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If grace is true, it changes so much more than how we see ourselves.
00:24:50.379 --> 00:24:53.259
It has to change the way we see other people.
00:24:54.379 --> 00:24:59.259
And this controversy in Galatia wasn't happening in a vacuum.
00:24:59.739 --> 00:25:03.500
We now have the gospel being spread.
00:25:04.939 --> 00:25:07.419
And that causes division.
00:25:07.500 --> 00:25:16.299
Or it certainly would have during that time when it had been quite neatly packaged and convenient until it wasn't.
00:25:16.699 --> 00:25:20.619
And you start, you know, division causes questions.
00:25:20.779 --> 00:25:22.059
Well, who belongs?
00:25:22.299 --> 00:25:23.659
Who's accepted?
00:25:23.899 --> 00:25:25.019
Who's in?
00:25:25.339 --> 00:25:26.459
Who's out?
00:25:26.779 --> 00:25:28.939
Who has the right credentials?
00:25:29.419 --> 00:25:34.379
And Paul just says, that's not the community Jesus is creating.
00:25:35.099 --> 00:25:39.179
And again, the tone of this letter, he's pretty blunt.
00:25:39.419 --> 00:25:53.659
There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, neither is there male or female, for you are all, the word all, one in Christ Jesus.
00:25:53.979 --> 00:25:57.899
So Paul isn't saying differences don't exist.
00:25:58.619 --> 00:26:03.899
He's saying that differences no longer determine our standing before God.
00:26:04.219 --> 00:26:07.019
Grace levels everything.
00:26:10.619 --> 00:26:15.659
Now again, well, what about the person who's hurt me?
00:26:16.059 --> 00:26:19.339
Well, that's when it gets challenging.
00:26:19.579 --> 00:26:20.219
You know?
00:26:22.139 --> 00:26:29.179
We've um all been faced with situations where we've been hurt, we've been challenged, we've been lied to.
00:26:29.659 --> 00:26:35.099
Um and often our lived experience can dictate our response to this.
00:26:35.339 --> 00:26:41.419
I acknowledge it's it's hard because we all have challenging lived experience.
00:26:41.659 --> 00:26:45.659
You know, broken trust causes damage.
00:26:47.819 --> 00:26:52.859
There's lots of ways that uh we can be hurt, we can be damaged.
00:26:53.419 --> 00:26:57.419
And so grace never pretends that harm doesn't happen.
00:26:57.659 --> 00:27:01.819
And grace doesn't mean that there's no consequences.
00:27:02.379 --> 00:27:07.339
Grace does not mean that trust is automatically restored.
00:27:08.459 --> 00:27:20.859
And it uh certainly, as I've as I've learnt in my restorative justice work over the years, it doesn't mean that someone who has been wounded has to rush into reconciliation.
00:27:22.139 --> 00:27:30.299
Ananias and Paul were the idea, ideal, um, certainly the ideal outcome.
00:27:30.859 --> 00:27:35.579
But I think we need to acknowledge that forgiveness and trust are not always the same thing.
00:27:35.819 --> 00:27:41.099
Grace tells the truth about what happened while still acknowledging harm.
00:27:41.899 --> 00:27:49.899
Grace always leaves room for repentance, transformation, and the possibility and the hope of a new future.
00:27:50.219 --> 00:27:57.259
And that just takes time and that takes boundaries, and reconciliation takes work from both sides.
00:27:58.779 --> 00:28:05.339
But grace makes transformation possible without denying the truth.
00:28:07.019 --> 00:28:13.899
And friends, sometimes the hardest people to extend grace to is ourselves.
00:28:14.379 --> 00:28:20.219
We carry things, things we did, things we've said, things we'd love to undo.
00:28:21.579 --> 00:28:29.579
Yet, if we're going to extend it to other people, we need to receive it ourselves.
00:28:29.739 --> 00:28:32.619
And that's that's the hardest.
00:28:32.779 --> 00:28:35.739
That can that can be really, really difficult.
00:28:37.419 --> 00:28:42.139
And Paul's story speaks so directly to that.
00:28:42.699 --> 00:28:45.099
Paul persecuted the church.
00:28:45.339 --> 00:28:48.859
He stood by why people were arrested and beaten.
00:28:49.579 --> 00:28:54.859
Yet Jesus met him and called him, transformed him.
00:28:55.339 --> 00:28:59.500
And Paul never pretended his past didn't happen.
00:28:59.739 --> 00:29:03.500
He talks about it throughout his throughout his letters.
00:29:03.979 --> 00:29:07.339
But he also refused to let his past have the final word.
00:29:08.859 --> 00:29:14.219
So grace doesn't erase the past, it just redeems what comes next.
00:29:14.299 --> 00:29:17.419
And I think it really produces humility.
00:29:18.139 --> 00:29:21.019
That's another consequence of grace.
00:29:21.500 --> 00:29:22.939
It makes us humble.
00:29:23.099 --> 00:29:27.419
And if we've earned God's love, well, I could take some credit.
00:29:27.819 --> 00:29:34.379
If I made myself acceptable to God, I could compare myself with you, others.
00:29:35.659 --> 00:29:39.099
Then I could say, potentially, oh, I'm better than you.
00:29:39.819 --> 00:29:44.139
But you see, now I can only say I'm grateful.
00:29:44.779 --> 00:29:48.299
We're all on equal, equal ground.
00:29:48.379 --> 00:29:51.019
And that's why grace creates humility.
00:29:52.059 --> 00:30:03.739
One thing I've learned from working with men and ladies who have been incarcerated is that prison is the great equalizer.
00:30:04.459 --> 00:30:09.259
Nobody has any more, nobody has any less.
00:30:09.819 --> 00:30:20.139
You can be on the same sharing the same space with a millionaire or someone of just generational poverty.
00:30:20.779 --> 00:30:24.139
And out of that comes community.
00:30:24.379 --> 00:30:38.379
And I think one of the great things when we heard from Paul Tucken this spring, um, this discus community, the men and ladies who show up to that are just part of community with the volunteers.
00:30:38.539 --> 00:30:41.739
Nobody knows who did what, why, how, when.
00:30:42.059 --> 00:30:48.299
They just know that they're there because the grace of God and want to do life together.
00:30:48.779 --> 00:30:52.539
And so that's one of the beautiful things that grace produces.
00:30:53.259 --> 00:31:01.019
This uh this theme that you belong because God's still working in all of us.
00:31:01.659 --> 00:31:04.779
And that gives us great freedom.
00:31:05.659 --> 00:31:07.419
Because Jesus is enough.
00:31:07.739 --> 00:31:11.500
He doesn't make our lives meaningless, he makes them meaningful.
00:31:12.619 --> 00:31:16.139
Now we can serve without needing applause.
00:31:16.779 --> 00:31:23.899
We can give without needing recognition, we can love without needing something in return, and we can forgive without keeping score.
00:31:24.859 --> 00:31:28.699
And we can welcome people without asking what they can give us.
00:31:28.859 --> 00:31:32.699
We become free to love because that's where grace takes us.
00:31:34.139 --> 00:31:40.059
So connecting back to our series and conclusion, the gospel's on the move.
00:31:40.539 --> 00:31:53.739
The gospel found Saul, the gospel sent Paul, the gospel Paul carried was grace, and that was not a side issue.
00:31:53.899 --> 00:31:56.699
That was the heart of his message.
00:31:58.379 --> 00:32:09.659
You know, this week was an interesting week, and uh I love this theme, the gospel on the move, and I've pondered what does that look like?
00:32:10.299 --> 00:32:30.459
Well, some of you will remember Victoria, who was on some slides in the spring, and through a connection with Thane Golds, we meet this wonderful junior high-age girl that is so other-centered it was incredible, and created these compassion kids.
00:32:31.739 --> 00:32:41.259
So we contributed to those, and uh they were they flew out of our office um very, very quickly.
00:32:41.899 --> 00:32:56.139
Well, this past uh this past Tuesday night, um Victoria was invited to come to our John Howard annual meeting to uh receive an award.
00:32:56.219 --> 00:32:58.779
And I had nothing to do with this.
00:32:58.939 --> 00:33:11.419
I connected the dots, um, but for whatever reason, this has made a huge impact on the leadership of John Howard and the executive director.
00:33:11.659 --> 00:33:19.979
Um she really wanted to, and they had already sent her a little certificate and everything, but she wanted her to come to the annual meeting and be recognized.
00:33:20.299 --> 00:33:38.379
Okay, so up they came, and um Shannon delivered the most beautiful presentation I've ever heard in uh just the context of caring for your community, and I was I was blown away.
00:33:38.539 --> 00:34:01.819
And at this, you know, at this annual meeting were members of York Regional Police, um basically just community partners and and stakeholders, you know, board members from John Howard, but the highlight of the night, after well, after looking at financial statements, sorry, Peter, the anything would be the highlight of the night, but it was um it was absolutely wonderful.
00:34:02.059 --> 00:34:18.699
Victoria came up and uh received this award, and Shannon made a beautiful speech, and I went home thinking the gospel is on the move, because John Howard doesn't have any idea what's happening here with our compassion project.
00:34:18.860 --> 00:34:26.300
They just know that Dave pastors this community and something about Jesus, but they're learning.
00:34:27.260 --> 00:34:30.380
And uh just an example, friends.
00:34:30.539 --> 00:34:35.259
The gospel moves in spite of us, maybe sometimes.
00:34:35.579 --> 00:34:38.139
Um my heart is full.
00:34:38.219 --> 00:34:46.299
I can't tell you when I've ever driven home so happy after just seeing the response of this uh wonderful junior high.
00:34:47.739 --> 00:34:50.059
So, what do we do with it in conclusion?
00:34:50.380 --> 00:34:53.019
Grace, we better receive it.
00:34:53.739 --> 00:34:59.179
Um we better stop trying to earn it because it's been given to us.
00:35:00.299 --> 00:35:05.019
And thirdly, we need to extend it to others.
00:35:05.259 --> 00:35:33.579
So we think about who needs a second chance, who needs some extra patience, who needs forgiveness, who needs to be welcomed because Jesus loves us, Jesus wants to walk with us, and as we receive the love of Christ and are committed to following Him, the natural extension of that is to share it with others.
00:35:34.859 --> 00:35:36.699
Let's pray together.
00:35:37.579 --> 00:35:46.699
Well, Lord, this morning I just feel led to invite us to receive your grace right now.
00:35:48.299 --> 00:35:53.819
We get up, we fall down, we stumble, we try.
00:35:54.859 --> 00:35:59.099
Sometimes it goes well, sometimes not so well.
00:36:01.099 --> 00:36:03.339
Lord, we know that you love us.
00:36:04.380 --> 00:36:09.420
You're here to save us and support us.
00:36:09.980 --> 00:36:18.299
So help us to live in your love and in your grace as we move out and about throughout our week ahead.
00:36:19.659 --> 00:36:25.900
Thank you for your beautiful gospel, where that one word is so important.
00:00:23.900 --> 00:00:29.580
Well, good morning again, everyone, and thank you, Jay and Rick.
00:00:29.740 --> 00:00:39.900
You're you know, you seem to nail it pretty regularly when it comes to our uh our worship music and uh connecting with the uh with the message.
00:00:40.140 --> 00:00:54.380
Today it's uh it's pretty simple, but something we uh we stress over and we well, we fuss and fume, and that but it's simple and it's entitled Grace Alone.
00:00:54.939 --> 00:00:59.099
And over the past two weeks we've been following, of course, the story of Paul.
00:00:59.340 --> 00:01:22.379
Week one, we met Saul on the road to Damascus, and uh well, he encountered Jesus in a mighty way, his life was turned around, and we discovered in our travels with uh with Saul that God wants more than just to turn us around, he also wants to give us someplace to go.
00:01:22.540 --> 00:01:34.460
And so last week we saw how Paul and Barnabas set out uh from the church in Antioch, and the gospel was on the move, which of course is the theme of our uh of our series.
00:01:34.620 --> 00:01:41.740
So they traveled, they preached, they encountered, well, they encountered stones, because Paul was stoned at one part.
00:01:41.820 --> 00:01:43.100
That wasn't a great day.
00:01:43.180 --> 00:01:48.460
Uh but they encountered people and well, they encountered life.
00:01:48.620 --> 00:01:50.540
But churches were formed.
00:01:50.780 --> 00:02:15.500
So today we're gonna leave the book of Acts and just have a look at the book of Galatians because it it contains a topic that was right at the heart of Paul, and uh, of course, the understanding of the gospel as he saw it, and it's one word, grace.
00:02:16.539 --> 00:02:18.939
Just bow your head with me for a moment.
00:02:19.819 --> 00:02:25.340
Well, Lord, um, thank you for the words that you've given me to share this morning.
00:02:25.819 --> 00:02:36.860
As we listen to Paul's teaching and unpack it together, help us um well, help us to hear the good news at the heart of our faith.
00:02:37.020 --> 00:02:43.819
So show us your grace and teach us to receive it well, and more importantly, help us to extend it to others.
00:02:43.980 --> 00:02:45.180
In Jesus' name.
00:02:45.500 --> 00:02:46.140
Amen.
00:02:47.900 --> 00:02:50.300
Well, Galatians.
00:02:52.620 --> 00:02:57.980
Paul in this book is not happy.
00:02:58.140 --> 00:03:08.780
Um, if you look through some of the Old Testament or New Testament uh letters of Paul, they're they're quite flowery, they're quite uh quite friendly.
00:03:08.939 --> 00:03:12.379
He gives thanks for many, many things.
00:03:12.700 --> 00:03:16.620
But uh in Galatians, he's a little prickly.
00:03:17.020 --> 00:03:20.539
Um and so why?
00:03:20.860 --> 00:03:22.620
Well, it's pretty simple.
00:03:22.860 --> 00:03:36.140
And uh we pick it up in verse 6 where he says, I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you to himself through the loving mercy of Christ.
00:03:36.379 --> 00:03:42.939
You are following a different way that pretends to be the good news, but is not the good news at all.
00:03:43.180 --> 00:03:49.020
You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ.
00:03:50.140 --> 00:04:01.740
Let God's curse fall on anyone, including us, or even an angel from heaven, who preaches a different kind of good news than the one we preach to you.
00:04:02.219 --> 00:04:17.420
I say again what we have done and what's said before, if anyone preaches any news other than the good news, the one you welcomed, let that person be cursed.
00:04:18.060 --> 00:04:22.860
So as you can see, Paul is not happy.
00:04:23.180 --> 00:04:31.259
He gets right to the point, not a lot of flowery prose, and he goes right after them.
00:04:33.099 --> 00:04:35.339
Well, why did Paul write this?
00:04:36.300 --> 00:04:42.060
He wasn't looking for an opportunity to write a theological essay.
00:04:42.220 --> 00:04:52.139
I mean, he was a scholar, so loved to write letters and communicate for sure, but something had gone terribly wrong.
00:04:52.540 --> 00:05:05.180
And Paul is concerned, and this book is probably the most emotionally intense of his New Testament letters.
00:05:05.340 --> 00:05:16.379
Um again, some normally there's lots of thanksgiving, there's lots of you know, give and take, and lots of flowery kind of prose.
00:05:16.699 --> 00:05:19.980
Um, you know, I'm grateful, I've heard about your love.
00:05:20.860 --> 00:05:26.780
But in Galatians, of course, he he dives right in.
00:05:27.019 --> 00:05:28.379
I'm shocked.
00:05:30.060 --> 00:05:33.500
Well, what does that mean?
00:05:33.740 --> 00:05:45.259
Well, what was happening is the churches in Galatia, which um, in case Marianne was here and wanted to play Stump the Pastor, Galatia is now Turkey today.
00:05:45.420 --> 00:05:47.980
Um, so somewhere way over there.
00:05:48.220 --> 00:05:57.100
Um, they had heard about Jesus, they had received Jesus, they had believed, and they received the Holy Spirit.
00:05:57.500 --> 00:06:08.860
They had become part of the people of God, but now other teachers had come along and were basically saying Jesus is important, but Jesus isn't enough.
00:06:09.100 --> 00:06:21.420
You need Jesus and circumcision, you need Jesus and the law, you need Jesus and taking on the markers of your Jewish identity.
00:06:22.699 --> 00:06:28.459
So you needed Jesus, plus you needed to keep the Torah.
00:06:28.620 --> 00:06:31.740
And of course, Paul emphatically says, no.
00:06:33.259 --> 00:06:41.740
And this isn't a little disagreement around among religious people and religious practice, it goes to the heart of the gospel.
00:06:42.220 --> 00:06:44.699
How does a person get right with God?
00:06:45.579 --> 00:07:04.780
Well, it's through what Jesus has done, of course, but it's certainly not because what Jesus has done, plus all the other stuff that goes along with it, and it comes down to one word, grace.
00:07:05.340 --> 00:07:08.139
That's how we're made right with God.
00:07:09.259 --> 00:07:12.300
So why was this such a big deal?
00:07:13.180 --> 00:07:19.500
Well, the early church was wrestling with a big question.
00:07:20.860 --> 00:07:25.740
What happens when Gentiles become followers of Jesus?
00:07:25.980 --> 00:07:34.540
Because remember, Jesus was Jewish, so he was operating in a Jewish culture, and now the church is on the move.
00:07:34.780 --> 00:07:53.420
The apostles were Jewish, the scriptures that they read were Jewish, the first followers of Jesus would have grown up within the story of Israel, but then the gospel started moving out, and now Gentiles are believing in Jesus.
00:07:53.660 --> 00:08:10.459
So people who weren't Jewish, people who hadn't grown up keeping the Jewish law, people who didn't have the same religious background, and probably had a little interest in being circumcised.
00:08:12.060 --> 00:08:16.220
So you have this division, don't you?
00:08:16.939 --> 00:08:25.899
So now the church has to wrestle with do Gentiles have to become Jewish in order to be fully part of God's people?
00:08:26.780 --> 00:08:32.539
And some people were simply saying yes, because that was their lived experience.
00:08:33.259 --> 00:08:35.899
And Paul emphatically says no.
00:08:37.659 --> 00:08:42.139
And this is where we need to understand the intensity of this argument.
00:08:42.379 --> 00:08:44.699
This was a big, big deal.
00:08:45.259 --> 00:08:53.500
Paul isn't saying don't worry about a few rules, he's saying do not add requirements.
00:08:54.379 --> 00:09:00.220
Don't put requirements alongside the gospel that Jesus never required.
00:09:01.019 --> 00:09:04.379
You can't tell people Jesus saves you.
00:09:04.700 --> 00:09:08.299
However, you need to do a few other things to really belong.
00:09:08.460 --> 00:09:11.100
And if you do that, you've changed the message.
00:09:11.179 --> 00:09:11.899
It's very simple.
00:09:11.980 --> 00:09:15.100
You've gone from grace to achievement.
00:09:15.580 --> 00:09:24.139
You know, from the gift of God's grace to qualifying for it, from receiving to earning.
00:09:24.379 --> 00:09:29.500
And see, Paul knew exactly where that road led.
00:09:31.580 --> 00:09:35.340
And I think this is why his language is so strong.
00:09:35.580 --> 00:09:44.060
You know, if anyone is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, then let them be under God's curse.
00:09:46.539 --> 00:09:48.220
That's a big deal.
00:09:49.500 --> 00:09:59.100
Now, I can remember doing Galatians in seminary, and someone made the comment, boy, Paul needs to chill.
00:09:59.419 --> 00:10:00.539
Paul needs to calm down.
00:10:00.620 --> 00:10:02.860
He's a little, he's a little edgy.
00:10:04.379 --> 00:10:05.899
But why wouldn't he be?
00:10:06.060 --> 00:10:17.740
I mean, as I think back, you know, we receive God's grace, but then God uses our personality to do great things.
00:10:18.299 --> 00:10:22.460
So I don't think Paul's personality had changed much.
00:10:22.620 --> 00:10:24.139
He was pretty strong.
00:10:24.379 --> 00:10:27.980
He was a highly competent debater, teacher.
00:10:28.460 --> 00:10:32.060
He was really intense when he believed in something.
00:10:32.299 --> 00:10:38.379
So now Jesus has met him, and now his strength is being turned in a different direction.
00:10:38.539 --> 00:10:39.899
Jesus is using him.
00:10:40.220 --> 00:10:43.740
So Paul clearly knows what's at stake here.
00:10:44.779 --> 00:10:52.060
Because the people in Galatia, you know, they're not simply changing a few religious preferences.
00:10:52.220 --> 00:10:54.860
Well, this could work for me, this could work for you.
00:10:55.340 --> 00:11:00.539
They're beginning to turn and believe that Jesus is not enough.
00:11:00.940 --> 00:11:04.299
And maybe I need to hedge my bets a little bit.
00:11:04.779 --> 00:11:07.100
And uh Paul's not going to allow it.
00:11:07.419 --> 00:11:08.299
Full stop.
00:11:08.620 --> 00:11:15.980
He wants them to understand that the gospel is not Jesus plus something else, the gospel is Jesus.
00:11:17.980 --> 00:11:20.620
And Paul really takes us personally.
00:11:21.500 --> 00:11:29.179
Any study I've done on Paul, um, he is a fascinating guy.
00:11:29.340 --> 00:11:32.139
He takes things quite personally.
00:11:32.539 --> 00:11:38.860
Um but here he's not defending an idea that you know was invented in the classroom.
00:11:39.179 --> 00:11:42.779
He's defending the gospel that transformed him.
00:11:43.100 --> 00:11:47.659
It changed his life, it stopped him in his tracks.
00:11:48.139 --> 00:11:55.580
So Paul knew what it was like to build his identity around a religious achievement, because that was the law.
00:11:55.820 --> 00:11:57.899
He'd been a Pharisee, he knew the law.
00:11:58.139 --> 00:12:00.779
He probably knew the law better than most people.
00:12:01.419 --> 00:12:06.299
He had the credentials, he had the pedigree, and as we know, he was zealous.
00:12:06.460 --> 00:12:13.179
He was disciplined, and he was, by his own description, righteous under the law.
00:12:13.980 --> 00:12:17.899
So he had a religious resume that was impressive.
00:12:18.620 --> 00:12:20.379
Then he met Jesus.
00:12:20.779 --> 00:12:23.820
And as we've seen, everything changed.
00:12:24.700 --> 00:12:27.740
So it's no doubt that he would take this personally.
00:12:27.899 --> 00:12:37.980
When the persecutor becomes the apostle or the apostle and the enemy becomes a servant, well, it changes your life.
00:12:38.139 --> 00:12:46.379
And so he's watching other Christians being told, oh, Jesus is good, but again, you need you need just a little more.
00:12:46.700 --> 00:12:53.580
And of course, Paul knew exactly where that led, and uh he was having none of it.
00:12:54.060 --> 00:12:58.220
So Paul is ultimately defending one word, and it's grace.
00:12:59.820 --> 00:13:00.460
Grace.
00:13:05.259 --> 00:13:08.060
All the old hymns come to mind.
00:13:08.700 --> 00:13:13.820
You know, we talk about it a lot, we pray for it.
00:13:14.460 --> 00:13:16.779
But what do we mean by grace?
00:13:17.580 --> 00:13:23.980
Well, at the simplest, I think grace is just God's generosity to us.
00:13:24.379 --> 00:13:25.899
It's undeserved.
00:13:26.620 --> 00:13:28.539
But we receive it anyways.
00:13:30.779 --> 00:13:36.060
Grace is God's love reaching towards us before we've cleaned ourselves up.
00:13:37.179 --> 00:13:38.460
And that's a big difference.
00:13:38.779 --> 00:13:40.779
Before we've cleaned ourselves up.
00:13:42.220 --> 00:13:43.659
Grace is a gift.
00:13:43.899 --> 00:13:50.379
It's important uh because most of us understand how the world works.
00:13:51.340 --> 00:13:56.220
So grace is not a reward for good behavior.
00:13:56.620 --> 00:14:09.740
You know, in our world, you work, you get paid, you perform, you get promoted, you do well, you get recognized, or you mess up, then you face consequences.
00:14:11.500 --> 00:14:16.460
We understand in our society today how to keep score.
00:14:16.620 --> 00:14:18.779
We're really good at keeping score.
00:14:19.340 --> 00:14:22.860
And see, and grace operates completely differently.
00:14:23.259 --> 00:14:27.820
Grace just says you're loved before you've earned it.
00:14:28.299 --> 00:14:29.899
There is no keeping score.
00:14:29.980 --> 00:14:33.019
So you're welcomed before you've proved yourself.
00:14:33.580 --> 00:14:38.620
You're invited before you have everything figured out, and that's a beautiful thing.
00:14:40.060 --> 00:14:51.500
You know, some of us have fallen hard in a variety of situations, and grace is knowing that you're loved before you've figured out how to put it back together or how to start over.
00:14:53.340 --> 00:14:59.100
And uh, you know, maybe that's why it's so difficult for us to receive.
00:14:59.740 --> 00:15:04.620
Because grace takes away our ability to say, I did this on my own.
00:15:04.940 --> 00:15:09.500
Because we're achievers, we like to do things, we like to accomplish things on our own.
00:15:09.820 --> 00:15:14.220
And uh again, grace just takes that away.
00:15:14.460 --> 00:15:15.820
It's a gift.
00:15:18.139 --> 00:15:25.419
We can all face the temptation to add to or hedge our bats, as I like to say.
00:15:26.060 --> 00:15:37.019
And I think as if you read through Galatians, and it's a it's an easy read, it's uh five chapters, um I can see why Paul is so so worried.
00:15:37.340 --> 00:15:45.820
Um we receive grace, but then slowly over time we add things.
00:15:46.060 --> 00:16:02.620
You know, um church attendance, uh being in the right place at the right time, um, making sure we're totally aligned with the way we think ought to be, keeping all the rules.
00:16:03.659 --> 00:16:09.100
Maybe it's making sure everybody thinks we're doing okay when we're really not.
00:16:11.340 --> 00:16:25.740
And suddenly we've moved from Jesus has saved me to Jesus has saved me, and now I need to kind of keep proving that I'm worthy of that gift.
00:16:27.259 --> 00:16:41.820
And that's that's dangerous, and it's so easy to do, and it's subtle because the Galatians weren't necessarily rejecting Jesus outright, they were simply just adding to it.
00:16:42.620 --> 00:16:55.580
And uh Paul says, in no uncertain terms, that's enough to corrupt the gospel, because once grace becomes something we have to supplement that it isn't grace anymore.
00:16:59.740 --> 00:17:23.179
Now, Paul tells us to remember how we started, and we've all are on different kinds of planes on our faith journey, but uh in in Galatians and chapter 3, he just asks, Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by believing what you heard?
00:17:24.220 --> 00:17:27.019
In other words, how did this begin?
00:17:27.500 --> 00:17:29.659
How did God give you the Holy Spirit?
00:17:29.899 --> 00:17:34.379
Because, well, did he give it to you because you're good enough?
00:17:35.019 --> 00:17:35.339
No.
00:17:36.219 --> 00:17:41.339
It's because you heard the gospel, you believed, and you received.
00:17:41.979 --> 00:17:43.659
So grace came first.
00:17:44.779 --> 00:17:54.219
So Paul invites them and in turn us to remember our stories and remember that we didn't earn our way into the family of God.
00:17:54.619 --> 00:18:00.379
We receive the gospel and we receive the Spirit and therefore receive grace.
00:18:02.859 --> 00:18:09.739
So we don't turn around and make performance the foundation of the Christian life.
00:18:09.979 --> 00:18:10.779
And that's hard.
00:18:10.859 --> 00:18:11.659
I acknowledge that.
00:18:11.739 --> 00:18:17.259
That's really, really hard to do in a culture that's so performance-driven.
00:18:19.339 --> 00:18:24.779
So, some thoughts on how we play with this on a daily basis.
00:18:24.939 --> 00:18:28.699
Well, we remember, number one, that grace always comes first.
00:18:30.779 --> 00:18:33.899
God's love isn't a response to our goodness.
00:18:34.059 --> 00:18:37.579
Our goodness is meant to be a response to God's love.
00:18:38.379 --> 00:18:41.579
So we think of our children, our grandchildren.
00:18:42.059 --> 00:18:47.019
A healthy parent doesn't say, once you behave well enough, I'll love you.
00:18:47.259 --> 00:18:51.259
Well, maybe you might think it from time to time, but um, no.
00:18:51.659 --> 00:18:55.179
You know, you never say, once you behave well enough, I'll love you.
00:18:55.500 --> 00:18:57.099
Our children are loved.
00:18:57.419 --> 00:19:04.379
And then because they're loved, you know, families work out how to live within that love and with the boundaries.
00:19:04.459 --> 00:19:07.819
And that's exactly the same as our relationship with God.
00:19:08.459 --> 00:19:11.819
We don't obey so that God will love us.
00:19:13.259 --> 00:19:19.979
We learn to obey because God loves us and desires a relationship with us.
00:19:20.939 --> 00:19:31.099
And therefore, one of His one of you know God's uh desires for us is to serve, is to serve like Jesus.
00:19:31.579 --> 00:19:34.459
But we don't serve so that God will accept us.
00:19:34.619 --> 00:19:37.979
We serve because we've been accepted already.
00:19:38.859 --> 00:19:44.299
So remember, grace always comes first, and then that changes everything from there.
00:19:46.379 --> 00:19:50.139
Sometimes grace is a little misunderstood.
00:19:50.779 --> 00:19:53.179
And I think it's an area we need to be careful.
00:19:54.139 --> 00:20:03.099
Uh if grace means God loves us regardless of what we do, does that mean that what we do doesn't matter?
00:20:03.419 --> 00:20:05.979
And Paul's answer is no.
00:20:07.419 --> 00:20:09.979
What you do matters a lot.
00:20:10.779 --> 00:20:16.939
Grace may be free, but as he puts it, it is not it is not cheap.
00:20:17.819 --> 00:20:24.219
The grace of God doesn't simply forgive our past and leave us exactly where we are.
00:20:25.419 --> 00:20:26.939
Grace changes us.
00:20:27.259 --> 00:20:30.139
Paul talks about that in Galatians 5.
00:20:30.619 --> 00:20:33.979
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.
00:20:34.459 --> 00:20:45.899
And notice that freedom, Paul isn't replacing one system of religious performance with another, but calling us into an entirely different relationship.
00:20:46.459 --> 00:20:49.179
Paul says, we've been set free.
00:20:49.979 --> 00:21:00.699
Free from having to prove yourself, free from having to establish your worth, and free from having to become acceptable through our own performance.
00:21:02.139 --> 00:21:11.179
And once we're free, then we can begin to live differently and look at things through a Jesus-centered lens.
00:21:12.219 --> 00:21:17.099
And so it changes your life.
00:21:18.379 --> 00:21:22.619
And hopefully the way you live your life on a daily basis.
00:21:23.099 --> 00:21:28.539
But again, not to earn God's love, but because we already have it.
00:21:31.179 --> 00:21:38.219
So maybe again, without hammering our way at this too hard, but it's something we really need to remember.
00:21:39.099 --> 00:21:42.779
We don't need to do good things to get God's love.
00:21:43.739 --> 00:21:48.059
We do it again because we've already received God's love.
00:21:48.779 --> 00:21:51.500
And that's a huge difference.
00:21:53.099 --> 00:21:56.459
And I think of people helping other people in need.
00:21:56.699 --> 00:22:01.899
One person thinks, maybe if I do enough good things, maybe God will be pleasing.
00:22:03.099 --> 00:22:09.819
And the other thinks, God has been so generous to me, how can I not be generous to somebody else?
00:22:10.859 --> 00:22:17.019
They may do the exact same task, but the motivation is completely different.
00:22:17.739 --> 00:22:21.339
One trying to earn, the other is simply responding.
00:22:22.779 --> 00:22:26.459
And that's what Paul's saying about the the Christian life.
00:22:27.259 --> 00:22:30.219
It's simply a response to the grace of God.
00:22:33.819 --> 00:22:42.939
I think the most important thing is maybe the last here, grace changes how we see ourselves.
00:22:44.139 --> 00:22:53.099
And I've learned that if my relationship with God depends on my performance, it's like living on a roller coaster.
00:22:54.779 --> 00:22:57.819
Good week, I feel pretty close to God.
00:22:58.139 --> 00:23:00.699
You know, things seem to be in sync.
00:23:00.939 --> 00:23:10.779
Then some weeks, not so good, a little off the tracks a little bit, just not necessarily going the way I'd want it to go.
00:23:11.500 --> 00:23:16.219
And I wonder, is God disappointed in me?
00:23:17.500 --> 00:23:21.659
When I pray regularly, I feel spiritual.
00:23:22.779 --> 00:23:29.819
And if I miss a few days or I get too busy, it's easy to feel like you failed.
00:23:30.779 --> 00:23:38.139
But God's grace gives us a foundation that is so much more stable when our identity isn't based on our performance.
00:23:38.379 --> 00:23:40.459
It's based on the love of God.
00:23:40.619 --> 00:23:43.339
And that doesn't mean our failures don't matter.
00:23:43.819 --> 00:23:44.459
They do.
00:23:44.699 --> 00:23:47.739
Actions have consequences, of course.
00:23:48.619 --> 00:23:51.419
But our grace is based on the love of God.
00:23:52.459 --> 00:23:56.699
You know, grace never calls evil good.
00:23:57.339 --> 00:23:59.979
Grace doesn't remove consequences.
00:24:00.619 --> 00:24:04.619
Grace doesn't mean we do not need repentance.
00:24:04.779 --> 00:24:05.419
We do.
00:24:06.539 --> 00:24:11.979
But it means that our failures do not have to be our identity.
00:24:12.859 --> 00:24:25.899
We can confess, we can repent, we can get back up, because our relationship with God rests not on our performance, but on God's faithfulness towards us.
00:24:27.899 --> 00:24:32.219
And that's the uncomfortable part of this book sometimes.
00:24:33.099 --> 00:24:40.139
And I'd encourage you to read it with that lens if you go back and read it this week.
00:24:43.259 --> 00:24:49.739
If grace is true, it changes so much more than how we see ourselves.
00:24:50.379 --> 00:24:53.259
It has to change the way we see other people.
00:24:54.379 --> 00:24:59.259
And this controversy in Galatia wasn't happening in a vacuum.
00:24:59.739 --> 00:25:03.500
We now have the gospel being spread.
00:25:04.939 --> 00:25:07.419
And that causes division.
00:25:07.500 --> 00:25:16.299
Or it certainly would have during that time when it had been quite neatly packaged and convenient until it wasn't.
00:25:16.699 --> 00:25:20.619
And you start, you know, division causes questions.
00:25:20.779 --> 00:25:22.059
Well, who belongs?
00:25:22.299 --> 00:25:23.659
Who's accepted?
00:25:23.899 --> 00:25:25.019
Who's in?
00:25:25.339 --> 00:25:26.459
Who's out?
00:25:26.779 --> 00:25:28.939
Who has the right credentials?
00:25:29.419 --> 00:25:34.379
And Paul just says, that's not the community Jesus is creating.
00:25:35.099 --> 00:25:39.179
And again, the tone of this letter, he's pretty blunt.
00:25:39.419 --> 00:25:53.659
There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, neither is there male or female, for you are all, the word all, one in Christ Jesus.
00:25:53.979 --> 00:25:57.899
So Paul isn't saying differences don't exist.
00:25:58.619 --> 00:26:03.899
He's saying that differences no longer determine our standing before God.
00:26:04.219 --> 00:26:07.019
Grace levels everything.
00:26:10.619 --> 00:26:15.659
Now again, well, what about the person who's hurt me?
00:26:16.059 --> 00:26:19.339
Well, that's when it gets challenging.
00:26:19.579 --> 00:26:20.219
You know?
00:26:22.139 --> 00:26:29.179
We've um all been faced with situations where we've been hurt, we've been challenged, we've been lied to.
00:26:29.659 --> 00:26:35.099
Um and often our lived experience can dictate our response to this.
00:26:35.339 --> 00:26:41.419
I acknowledge it's it's hard because we all have challenging lived experience.
00:26:41.659 --> 00:26:45.659
You know, broken trust causes damage.
00:26:47.819 --> 00:26:52.859
There's lots of ways that uh we can be hurt, we can be damaged.
00:26:53.419 --> 00:26:57.419
And so grace never pretends that harm doesn't happen.
00:26:57.659 --> 00:27:01.819
And grace doesn't mean that there's no consequences.
00:27:02.379 --> 00:27:07.339
Grace does not mean that trust is automatically restored.
00:27:08.459 --> 00:27:20.859
And it uh certainly, as I've as I've learnt in my restorative justice work over the years, it doesn't mean that someone who has been wounded has to rush into reconciliation.
00:27:22.139 --> 00:27:30.299
Ananias and Paul were the idea, ideal, um, certainly the ideal outcome.
00:27:30.859 --> 00:27:35.579
But I think we need to acknowledge that forgiveness and trust are not always the same thing.
00:27:35.819 --> 00:27:41.099
Grace tells the truth about what happened while still acknowledging harm.
00:27:41.899 --> 00:27:49.899
Grace always leaves room for repentance, transformation, and the possibility and the hope of a new future.
00:27:50.219 --> 00:27:57.259
And that just takes time and that takes boundaries, and reconciliation takes work from both sides.
00:27:58.779 --> 00:28:05.339
But grace makes transformation possible without denying the truth.
00:28:07.019 --> 00:28:13.899
And friends, sometimes the hardest people to extend grace to is ourselves.
00:28:14.379 --> 00:28:20.219
We carry things, things we did, things we've said, things we'd love to undo.
00:28:21.579 --> 00:28:29.579
Yet, if we're going to extend it to other people, we need to receive it ourselves.
00:28:29.739 --> 00:28:32.619
And that's that's the hardest.
00:28:32.779 --> 00:28:35.739
That can that can be really, really difficult.
00:28:37.419 --> 00:28:42.139
And Paul's story speaks so directly to that.
00:28:42.699 --> 00:28:45.099
Paul persecuted the church.
00:28:45.339 --> 00:28:48.859
He stood by why people were arrested and beaten.
00:28:49.579 --> 00:28:54.859
Yet Jesus met him and called him, transformed him.
00:28:55.339 --> 00:28:59.500
And Paul never pretended his past didn't happen.
00:28:59.739 --> 00:29:03.500
He talks about it throughout his throughout his letters.
00:29:03.979 --> 00:29:07.339
But he also refused to let his past have the final word.
00:29:08.859 --> 00:29:14.219
So grace doesn't erase the past, it just redeems what comes next.
00:29:14.299 --> 00:29:17.419
And I think it really produces humility.
00:29:18.139 --> 00:29:21.019
That's another consequence of grace.
00:29:21.500 --> 00:29:22.939
It makes us humble.
00:29:23.099 --> 00:29:27.419
And if we've earned God's love, well, I could take some credit.
00:29:27.819 --> 00:29:34.379
If I made myself acceptable to God, I could compare myself with you, others.
00:29:35.659 --> 00:29:39.099
Then I could say, potentially, oh, I'm better than you.
00:29:39.819 --> 00:29:44.139
But you see, now I can only say I'm grateful.
00:29:44.779 --> 00:29:48.299
We're all on equal, equal ground.
00:29:48.379 --> 00:29:51.019
And that's why grace creates humility.
00:29:52.059 --> 00:30:03.739
One thing I've learned from working with men and ladies who have been incarcerated is that prison is the great equalizer.
00:30:04.459 --> 00:30:09.259
Nobody has any more, nobody has any less.
00:30:09.819 --> 00:30:20.139
You can be on the same sharing the same space with a millionaire or someone of just generational poverty.
00:30:20.779 --> 00:30:24.139
And out of that comes community.
00:30:24.379 --> 00:30:38.379
And I think one of the great things when we heard from Paul Tucken this spring, um, this discus community, the men and ladies who show up to that are just part of community with the volunteers.
00:30:38.539 --> 00:30:41.739
Nobody knows who did what, why, how, when.
00:30:42.059 --> 00:30:48.299
They just know that they're there because the grace of God and want to do life together.
00:30:48.779 --> 00:30:52.539
And so that's one of the beautiful things that grace produces.
00:30:53.259 --> 00:31:01.019
This uh this theme that you belong because God's still working in all of us.
00:31:01.659 --> 00:31:04.779
And that gives us great freedom.
00:31:05.659 --> 00:31:07.419
Because Jesus is enough.
00:31:07.739 --> 00:31:11.500
He doesn't make our lives meaningless, he makes them meaningful.
00:31:12.619 --> 00:31:16.139
Now we can serve without needing applause.
00:31:16.779 --> 00:31:23.899
We can give without needing recognition, we can love without needing something in return, and we can forgive without keeping score.
00:31:24.859 --> 00:31:28.699
And we can welcome people without asking what they can give us.
00:31:28.859 --> 00:31:32.699
We become free to love because that's where grace takes us.
00:31:34.139 --> 00:31:40.059
So connecting back to our series and conclusion, the gospel's on the move.
00:31:40.539 --> 00:31:53.739
The gospel found Saul, the gospel sent Paul, the gospel Paul carried was grace, and that was not a side issue.
00:31:53.899 --> 00:31:56.699
That was the heart of his message.
00:31:58.379 --> 00:32:09.659
You know, this week was an interesting week, and uh I love this theme, the gospel on the move, and I've pondered what does that look like?
00:32:10.299 --> 00:32:30.459
Well, some of you will remember Victoria, who was on some slides in the spring, and through a connection with Thane Golds, we meet this wonderful junior high-age girl that is so other-centered it was incredible, and created these compassion kids.
00:32:31.739 --> 00:32:41.259
So we contributed to those, and uh they were they flew out of our office um very, very quickly.
00:32:41.899 --> 00:32:56.139
Well, this past uh this past Tuesday night, um Victoria was invited to come to our John Howard annual meeting to uh receive an award.
00:32:56.219 --> 00:32:58.779
And I had nothing to do with this.
00:32:58.939 --> 00:33:11.419
I connected the dots, um, but for whatever reason, this has made a huge impact on the leadership of John Howard and the executive director.
00:33:11.659 --> 00:33:19.979
Um she really wanted to, and they had already sent her a little certificate and everything, but she wanted her to come to the annual meeting and be recognized.
00:33:20.299 --> 00:33:38.379
Okay, so up they came, and um Shannon delivered the most beautiful presentation I've ever heard in uh just the context of caring for your community, and I was I was blown away.
00:33:38.539 --> 00:34:01.819
And at this, you know, at this annual meeting were members of York Regional Police, um basically just community partners and and stakeholders, you know, board members from John Howard, but the highlight of the night, after well, after looking at financial statements, sorry, Peter, the anything would be the highlight of the night, but it was um it was absolutely wonderful.
00:34:02.059 --> 00:34:18.699
Victoria came up and uh received this award, and Shannon made a beautiful speech, and I went home thinking the gospel is on the move, because John Howard doesn't have any idea what's happening here with our compassion project.
00:34:18.860 --> 00:34:26.300
They just know that Dave pastors this community and something about Jesus, but they're learning.
00:34:27.260 --> 00:34:30.380
And uh just an example, friends.
00:34:30.539 --> 00:34:35.259
The gospel moves in spite of us, maybe sometimes.
00:34:35.579 --> 00:34:38.139
Um my heart is full.
00:34:38.219 --> 00:34:46.299
I can't tell you when I've ever driven home so happy after just seeing the response of this uh wonderful junior high.
00:34:47.739 --> 00:34:50.059
So, what do we do with it in conclusion?
00:34:50.380 --> 00:34:53.019
Grace, we better receive it.
00:34:53.739 --> 00:34:59.179
Um we better stop trying to earn it because it's been given to us.
00:35:00.299 --> 00:35:05.019
And thirdly, we need to extend it to others.
00:35:05.259 --> 00:35:33.579
So we think about who needs a second chance, who needs some extra patience, who needs forgiveness, who needs to be welcomed because Jesus loves us, Jesus wants to walk with us, and as we receive the love of Christ and are committed to following Him, the natural extension of that is to share it with others.
00:35:34.859 --> 00:35:36.699
Let's pray together.
00:35:37.579 --> 00:35:46.699
Well, Lord, this morning I just feel led to invite us to receive your grace right now.
00:35:48.299 --> 00:35:53.819
We get up, we fall down, we stumble, we try.
00:35:54.859 --> 00:35:59.099
Sometimes it goes well, sometimes not so well.
00:36:01.099 --> 00:36:03.339
Lord, we know that you love us.
00:36:04.380 --> 00:36:09.420
You're here to save us and support us.
00:36:09.980 --> 00:36:18.299
So help us to live in your love and in your grace as we move out and about throughout our week ahead.
00:36:19.659 --> 00:36:25.900
Thank you for your beautiful gospel, where that one word is so important.
