Galatians
2:3 –
Yet
not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though
he was a Greek.
Galatians
2:15-21 –
“We
who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles know that a person is not
justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too,
have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ
and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be
justified.
“But
if, in seeking to be justified in Christ, we Jews find ourselves also among the
sinners, doesn’t that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not! If I
rebuild what I destroyed, then I really would be a lawbreaker.
“For
through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been
crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I
now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave
himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could
be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”
Ezekiel
36:26-27 –
I
will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you
your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in
you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.
Romans
6:1-4 –
“What
shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no
means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or
don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized
into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in
order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the
Father, we too may live a new life.”
Galatians
3:1-5 –
You
foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ
was clearly portrayed as crucified. I would like to learn just one thing from
you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what
you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you
now trying to finish by means of the flesh? Have you experienced so much in
vain—if it really was in vain? So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and
work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you
heard?
We
were welcomed by a woman in the sanctuary who walked down the steps with us to
show us to the restrooms as her husband went and poured coffee for us. We also
got to speak to some members in the social area over coffee following worship. Did
not notice signage anywhere and thought it a bit odd that there were no
restrooms on the sanctuary level.
There
were numerous panels in front with watercolor crosses. There were more of us “gray
hairs” at this service, but it was the early worship. With two services, people
seem less inclined to ask if you are visiting. The band and singers were enjoyable
though a little loud for me over the prayers.
The
sermon dealt with the conflict of faith and works, or more accurately, grace
and works. I’m sure every Christian struggles with this at times, that we receive
God’s unearned grace that we know we don’t deserve is a dilemma.
The
J.B. Phillips version of the Bible was quoted regarding Paul’s admonition to
the church in Galatia, something like, “Dear idiots of Galatia.” Quite a lot of
Scripture was quoted in support of the message and nuances of some words were
explained.
The
pastor related a story about when he was young in his faith and visiting
charismatic Christians. After they had laid hands on him and prayed over him but
was not speaking in tongues, someone remarked that he seemed fully baptized.
And
the best line to live by: “There is nothing God has for me that I don’t want.”
Members
were invited to come to the rail and pray at the end of the service.
I appreciated
the chance to talk to the lead singer and pastor after the service; I was sorry
we didn’t get to talk with some members who recently lost a child.
We
arrived very early for the 9 a.m. service and had an opportunity to wander
around. A member kindly escorted us to the restrooms and directed us to the coffee
after which we found seats in the auditorium. The large worship area was
perhaps ¼ full when worship began, but it filled quickly.
It
turned out the lead male singer was one of the founders of the Christian rock
band ApologetiX. He was supported well and the volume was perfect. He told a
story about losing a Terry Bradshaw football card and how a fan with a 5,000-card
collection sent him one card as a gift…a Terry Bradshaw card just like the one
he lost. His point was, if it matters to us, it matters to God.
Today’s
message, The Counter-Argument, is
part of the current message series Galatians
– Getting Grace. The question has been asked for thousands of years: Don’t
we need something in addition to Jesus to be saved? After
all, it seems like we should have to contribute somehow to help get ourselves
into heaven.
The
pastor made a strong Scriptural case for believing Jesus’ sacrifice is all that’s
necessary; that we need only believe and surrender, laying our dead works at
the foot of the cross, believing and yielding, then watching Him work in us.
All
too often I find myself falling into this trap, asking God what He wants me to
do, when what He wants me to do is stop striving and just trust Him.
We
appreciated the time taken by the pastor following worship after which we
joined many folks for refreshments between the services. Many people had welcomed
us with smiles before but at this point even more spoke with us at length and
we enjoyed the conversations.
Lord, we are grateful Your Spirit guided the pastor in his message and we pray You continue to guide him as he pastors Your flock. Amen.
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