Christmas Calls Us to Worship Christ Fully...

This week we are pausing from the growing intensity of this countdown to Christmas to ask the question: What are we counting down to?  What are we looking forward to this Christmas? Wednesday, we looked at a section of the Christmas story in the gospel of Luke where an army of angels of angels announced to a group of shepherds that God had fulfilled His promise to send a Messiah and who were worshipping the Lord in response to God’s activity of sending His Son as the One who would provide the opportunity for humanity to be rescued from their selfishness and rebellion so that they could experience the relationship with God that they were created for.

Now, today, as we jump back into this story, imagine yourself as a shepherd who have just received this Divine Announcement and have just witnessed this scene of worship. How would you respond? What would you do if the angel of the Lord and the glory of the Lord showed up and made that kind of announcement to you? Probably what the shepherds did, which we read as Luke continues in verse 15:

When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, "Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us."

Notice the shepherd’s response here. There was no doubt that the shepherds believed that they had an encounter with God. The shepherds recognized that they were given an opportunity to participate in God’s activity in the world because God had chosen them to be the first to hear of His entry into the world. And as they watched the angels return to Heaven, this unexpected announcement to this unexpected group of people created an uncontainable passion to see God’s entry into the world that had been proclaimed to them.

This uncontainable passion to see the evidence of God’s activity and entry into the world caused them to go straight to Bethlehem. No time to find someone else to watch the sheep; not time to tell family and friends where they were going; just a desire that is focused on encountering God and experiencing and participating in His activity in the world.

And just as it was for the shepherds, it is God’s activity in the world and in our lives that can change the desires, the focus, and even the trajectory of our lives. Luke then continues to shows us how the shepherds responded to this most unexpected announcement in verse 16:

So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds.

The shepherds hurried to Bethlehem and began to search for the baby wrapped is clothes in a feeding trough. So they went through town asking “have you seen him? Have you seen a baby in clothes in a manger? Is he here? Where do you keep the animals in town? Why are we looking for a baby in a manger? We are looking because this baby will be our rescuer, our deliverer. We are looking because this baby is the Lord God who entered into humanity”.

And all in Bethlehem who encountered these shepherds looking for a baby in a feeding trough were amazed and impacted by the shepherd’s uncontainable passion as they searched for a baby in a feeding trough. I mean how unexpected would it be for shepherds to be searching for the Messiah, instead of religious or political power players.

And when they found the baby, in a cave, in a feeding trough, any hesitation or doubts were removed as to what they had seen and heard that night. They responded by sharing God’s announcement that the countdown to the fulfillment of God’s promises was over to all around them. For Mary, however, there was a different response:

But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart.

Mary responds to this unexpected announcement by making another page in the mental scrapbook that she was creating about the role that God had given her in His huge story. This morning, wouldn’t you like to look at that scrapbook? Can you imagine what Mary’s scrapbook would look like as she placed treasured moment after treasured moment of the evidence of God’s amazing activity in her life? Luke then reveals for us how the shepherds responded to all that they had heard and seen:

The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.

The shepherds, after seeing God entry into humanity as a baby in a feeding trough, return to the sheep and to the field. The shepherds returned to their relatively mundane lives that most would view as being of little importance and as having little impact on the world. However, the shepherds were forever changed as a result of God’s announcement of the fulfillment of His promise. Luke tells us that the shepherds went back glorifying God for all that they had heard and seen. The shepherds responded by making much of God in a way that resulted in God’s reputation being enhanced.

The shepherds responded the same way that the army of angels responded.  The shepherds responded by worshipping the Lord in response to God’s activity of sending His Son as the One who would provide the opportunity for humanity to be rescued from their selfishness and rebellion so that they could experience the relationship with God that they were created for.

And it is in this story that we see what Christmas calls us to. It is in the response of the army of angels; it is in the response of the shepherds that we see what the countdown to Christmas is all about. You see, Advent, the countdown to Christmas, calls us to worship. Christmas calls us to worship Christ fully.

Where we can get off track, however, is when we spend our time, talents, and treasure during the countdown to Christmas worshipping the wrong thing. We can get off track by focusing on what the culture calls us to worship during the countdown to Christmas. You see, during the countdown to Christmas, we can find ourselves worshipping the god of consumerism instead of Christ. We can find ourselves worshipping the presents that come under the tree instead of worshipping the Son of God who came to hang on a tree. Now, the question is not whether or not we are worshippers. Every human being on the planet was created to worship. The question is what are we worshipping?

So here is the question: during the countdown to Christmas, what are you worshipping? Are you worshipping at the altar of consumerism? Or are you worshipping the arrival of Christ? Now, I am not saying that we should not buy presents or give gifts during Christmas. That is not the point. The point is who or what is preeminent and prominent in your life? How are you responding to the countdown to Christmas? Because worship simply put is a response. Worship is a response to who God is, what God has done, and what God has promised to do. If you are not sure what you worship, here is a quick question to help discover what you worship: What does how you spend your time, talent, and treasure reveal about what you truly worship? Because we invest our time, talents, and treasure in what we worship.

During these weeks leading up to Christmas, we will challenge ourselves to worship Christ fully in three specific ways. During this series, we will challenge ourselves to worship Christ fully by spending less. During this series, we will challenge ourselves to worship Christ fully by giving more. During this series, we will challenge ourselves to worship Christ fully by loving all. Because that is what the countdown to Christmas calls us to. The countdown to Christmas calls us to respond to God giving what was closest to Himself to rescue what was furthest away by spending less at the altar of consumerism and instead giving more to those around us who are less fortunate than us in a way that reveals and reflects the love of Christ and the message of Christmas.

Because that is what the countdown to Christmas calls us to….

A Divine Encounter...

During the next four weeks at the church where I serve we are discovering the answer to the question “what are we counting down to when it comes to Christmas?” by looking at an account of Jesus life that is recorded for us in our Bibles called the gospel of Luke, which records what happened that first Christmas. Yesterday, we started by talking about why followers of Jesus make such a big deal about Christmas. To understand why followers of Jesus believe that Christmas is such a big deal, we first need to understand a little bit of history.

We discovered that the Jewish people were looking for the descendant of Abraham, from the line of David that would be the promised Messiah who would bring the Jewish people back to God and back to prominence in the world. The Jewish people were looking forward and counting the days until God would fulfill His promise to humanity. The Jewish people were engaged in a countdown to an unknown date in the future.

Then around 1000 years after God promised King David that there would be a Messiah, a little over 2,000 years ago, a young Jewish man, named Joseph and his fiancé named Mary, who was pregnant, traveled to Bethlehem in order to participate in a census that required every Jewish family to travel to their ancestral home town to register for the census so that they would be counted for tax purposes. Upon arriving in Bethlehem, Mary went into labor and delivered her first child, a son.

But this child was not just any son; this child was the Son of God. This child was the fulfillment of God’s promise. And in an account of Jesus life called the gospel of Luke, we see Luke records for us how God announced the fulfillment of His promise of the Messiah, beginning in Luke 2:8:

In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.

You think? Of course they were frightened. Wouldn’t you be frightened? It’s not every day that the angel of the Lord, who was God’s personal servant, named Gabriel, just shows up. And if that was not frightening enough, Luke tells us that the glory of the Lord shown around them. When Luke refers to the glory of the Lord, he is referring to the awesome presence, splendor and radiance of God displayed for others to see. This is God in His greatness revealed.

Throughout the Bible, when we read about the glory of the Lord, we usually discover two things. First, we discover that humans usually cannot handle being in the presence of the glory of the Lord. Usually, people respond to being in the presence of the glory of the Lord by falling on their face or fleeing. Second, when we read about the glory of the Lord, we usually read about God’s glory being revealed either in the tabernacle or the temple in Jerusalem, which was the only church in Mary and Joseph’s day. The glory of the Lord did not just show up in a field in the middle of nowhere.

And the glory of the Lord did not show up around shepherds. The glory of the Lord may have been revealed to kings or priests, or to really religious people; but not to shepherds. You see, during the time of Jesus’ birth, to be a shepherd was almost as socially toxic as being a leper. Shepherds were outcasts. For example, even though shepherds raised animals for use in the temple sacrifices, they themselves were considered “unclean” and, as such, were not permitted to set foot into the temple. Not only were shepherds engaged in a smelly, dirty, and nomadic profession, they were considered to be unreliable witnesses in matters of law. In fact, if you were a shepherd who witnessed a crime, you were unworthy to give testimony in a court of Jewish law.

The shepherds were considered outsiders who spent their time disconnected and distant from Jewish culture. Shepherds were peasants who were located on the bottom of the scale of power and privilege. So of course the shepherds were frightened; this was most unexpected and frightening; “what’s going to happen to us now” was what they probably were thinking. Luke tells us what happens next:

But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid;

To which the shepherds probably thought “easy for you to say”…

for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. "This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

The angel says “I have good news for you, which is for you to tell all the people. The good news is that the countdown to the fulfillment of God’s promise is over. Down the road from you has been born the savior; you know the promised one that you have heard about since you were a child that is coming to rescue and deliver you and your people from your selfishness and rebellion. This baby that has been born is the Christ, the Messiah, the promised one of God. And this rescuer, this deliverer, this Savior, Christ, that has been born, oh by the way, He is the Lord. He is God in a bod. Now go and check it out for yourself. This is how you will know that you have found your God, your rescuer, your deliverer, your Messiah. You will find your God, your rescuer, your deliverer in the cave on the edge of town, where He is wrapped up in clothes in a feeding trough”.

You see, Bethlehem was a small rural community that was busting at the seams as a result of all the out of town visitors that were required to come to register for the census. Bethlehem was not a destination that up and coming people moved to in order to start their careers; Bethlehem was a departure point that people left as soon as they grew up.  So there was no place for people to reside, unless there were close family that still lived in town. Bethlehem was so crowded that the only place that they could find for Mary to give birth and stay in was with domesticated animals. Most likely this was in a cave on the outskirts of town where animals where kept for their safety. Instead of a crib, all Mary could lay her newborn in was a manger, which was a feeding trough for animals.

Now you are a shepherd. You have just had an encounter with a heavenly being. What would you be thinking? What questions would be running through your mind? Here’s what I think was running through their mind. “Why would God send an angel to tell us? Why us? Why not tell the priests in Jerusalem? Why not tell the religious people like the Pharisees or Sadducees? Why not tell those in positions of power or influence? Why not tell the rest of Joseph and Mary’s family who are in Nazareth? While the shepherds were frightened and were pondering all that they had heard, there were others who had a much different response:

And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased."

Can you imagine what that must have looked like? Can you imagine what it must sound like to hear a multitude of angels worship God in one accord without anyone being off key? But this was not just a multitude of angels; the Heavenly Host is an army of angels. And the chorus line of the worship song that this army of angels was singing was glory to God in the highest and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased. In other words the angels were singing “may God’s reputation be enhanced to the max and may those whom God favors experience a state of well being with Him”.

This army of angels was worshipping the Lord in response to God’s activity of sending His Son as the One who would provide the opportunity for humanity to be rescued from their selfishness and rebellion so that they could experience the relationship with God that they were created for.

Now imagine yourself as a shepherd who have just received this Divine Announcement and have just witnessed this scene of worship. How would you respond? What would you do if the angel of the Lord and the glory of the Lord showed up and made that kind of announcement to you?

Tomorrow, we will see what the shepherds did…

The Countdown to Christmas...

As of today, there are only 21 days until Christmas. There are only 21 days left to make sure that all of your Christmas shopping is done. Only 21 days to prepare and plan for the big day that is Christmas Day. But you did not need me to remind you of that reality, did you? No, you did not need me to remind you that there was only 21 days until Christmas, because for the last several months, as a culture, we have been counting down to Christmas.  Since Labor Day weekend, when the first signs of Christmas trees and ornaments began to appear in stores, we have been counting down toward Christmas.

And the closer and closer we get to Christmas, the more we are reminded that Christmas is coming. There are more reminders in the form of Christmas ads on T.V. and radio. There are more reminders from family and friends. All around us, the countdown to Christmas continues to grow and gain momentum. And in the next several weeks, the countdown to Christmas will continue to grow in its frequency and intensity. And as the countdown to Christmas grows and gains momentum our anticipation for Christmas also grows doesn’t it? As the days until Christmas decrease, we find ourselves increasingly looking forward to Christmas Day, don’t we?

However, I want to pause from the growing intensity of this countdown to Christmas. I want us to take a minute to pull away from this countdown in order to ask a simple question. And that question is this: What are we counting down to?  What are we looking forward to this Christmas? What is the countdown to Christmas calling you to?

To ask the question another way, what is the first thing that comes into your mind as you consider the countdown to Christmas? What are the things that you just have to get done in these days leading up to Christmas, if Christmas is going to meet your expectations? What will make this Christmas season a success in your eyes? What would cause you to be disappointed this Christmas season? I mean, so often I hear people say “I just wish I had more time before Christmas arrived?” When it comes to needing more time during the countdown to Christmas, what would you do if you were able to have some more time? 

Now this growing intensity and anticipation that surrounds the countdown the Christmas is not a new phenomenon. The phenomenon that surrounds the countdown to Christmas has been around for centuries. If you happened to grow up in church or have been around church for a while, you are probably somewhat aware of the countdown the Christmas that occurs in church world. We even have a special name that we use to describe the countdown. In church world we refer to the countdown to Christmas as the Advent season. Now the word advent comes from the Latin word adventus which the means coming and refers to a time of waiting and preparing for the celebration of Christmas.

Yet, whether you call it Advent, or the Christmas season, or the holiday season; Whether you are a follower of Jesus; or whether you are here this morning and you don’t buy the whole Jesus, Bible church thing. Whether you are a regular attender of church or whether the only reason that you go to church is because someone agreed to buy you lunch if you came to church with them, we are all counting down to December 25^th.  But what are we counting down to? And what should we be counting down to?

To answer these questions, we are going to spend the countdown to Christmas in a series entitled “The Advent Conspiracy”. During the next four weeks, we are going to discover the answer to the question “what are we counting down to when it comes to Christmas?” During this series we are going to be looking at an account of Jesus life that is recorded for us in our Bibles called the gospel of Luke, which records what happened that first Christmas. As we go through this series, we are going to discover four different ways that we can get off track by focusing on what the culture calls us to when it comes to the countdown to Christmas. And as we go through this series, my hope and my prayer is that God would move in our heads, in our hands, and in our heart, to move us to a place where we are on track by focusing on what God calls us to when it comes to the countdown to Christmas.

Now, maybe you are not sure that you buy the whole Jesus, Bible, church thing and for you it is difficult to understand why followers of Jesus consider Christmas to be such a big deal. To understand why followers of Jesus believe that Christmas is such a big deal, we first need to understand a little bit of history. You see, around 4,000 years ago, God had made a promise to a man named Abraham, who was the person from which the Jewish people and culture descended from, that through one of his descendants all the nations would be blessed.

Then, 1,000 years after God had made His promise to Abraham, God had promised the Jewish nations most famous king, King David, that one of his descendants would be the Messiah. So the Jewish people were looking for the descendant of Abraham, from the line of David that would be the promised Messiah who would bring the Jewish people back to God and back to prominence in the world. The Jewish people were looking forward and counting the days until God would fulfill His promise to humanity. The Jewish people were engaged in a countdown to an unknown date in the future.

Then around 1000 years later, a little over 2,000 years ago, a young Jewish man, named Joseph and his fiancé named Mary, who was pregnant, traveled to Bethlehem in order to participate in a census that required every Jewish family to travel to their ancestral home town to register for the census so that they would be counted for tax purposes. Upon arriving in Bethlehem, Mary went into labor and delivered her first child, a son. But this child was not just any son; this child was the Son of God. This child was the fulfillment of God’s promise.

Tomorrow, we will look at an account of Jesus life called the gospel of Luke, where Luke records for us how God announced the fulfillment of His promise of the Messiah…

Different Motivations Produce Different Results...

This week, we have been looking at the concluding section of a letter that is recorded in our Bibles called the book of Galatians. Wednesday, we discovered that we are to vote no on religion because religion and a religious centered lifestyle is often driven by the motivation to please men, avoid persecution, and to take pride in our performance. We talked about the reality that it is not that a gospel centered lifestyle does not strive to live a life that meets a standard of faithfulness and obedience. The difference between a gospel centered lifestyle and a religious centered lifestyle is the motivation that drives their lifestyle.

Today we will see Paul reveal a second difference between a gospel centered lifestyle and a religious centered lifestyle in verse 16:

 And those who will walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.

Here we see Paul explain that for the follower of Jesus who is living a gospel centered lifestyle that is driven by the motivation to please and bring glory to God by dying to a religious centered lifestyle that is driven by the wrong motivations, the result is that peace and mercy be upon them, and the Israel of God. When Paul refers to the Israel of God here, he is referring to those who compose the people of God.

While the Jewish people believed that they were in relationship with God as God’s people based purely on their ethnic heritage, Paul is revealing the reality that the people of God are those who live a gospel centered lifestyle, not a religious centered lifestyle. It is the follower of Jesus who is living a gospel centered lifestyle that will experience a state of well being with God and receive the kindness and concern of God that results in them experiencing eternal life with God. Paul then concludes his letter to the members of the churches of Galatia in verses 17-18:

 From now on let no one cause trouble for me, for I bear on my body the brand-marks of Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brethren. Amen.

Paul concludes his letter with two statements that are addressed to two different groups of people. In verse 17, Paul addresses those who were driven by the motivation to cause trouble or difficulty for him. Paul commands those who wanted to stir up trouble for him not to do so, because he bore on his body the brand-marks of Jesus. Now this sentence, if communicated in the language we use in our culture today, would have sounded something like this: “you might want to think twice about causing trouble for me, because that will not discourage or dissuade me. Just look at the wounds and scars I have already received, yet that has not stopped me”.

In verse 18, Paul addresses those who were driven by the motivation to support and encouraged him. Paul prays for the members of the churches of Galatia who were embracing a gospel centered lifestyle that God’s divine favor would fill the core of their being in a way that would result in their continued rejection of religion and embracing of the gospel.

Because as we have discovered we are to vote no on religion because religion results in a life that is driven by the wrong motivations. A religious centered lifestyle is often driven by the motivation to please men. A religious centered lifestyle is often driven by the motivation to avoid persecution. And a religious centered lifestyle is often driven by the motivation to take pride in their performance. By contrast, a follower of Jesus who is living a gospel centered lifestyle is driven by the motivation to please God and takes pride in what God has done through Jesus in a way that brings glory and honor to God.

So here is the question before us to consider: how have you been casting your ballot? How have you been voting when it comes to the motivation that drives your life? In living a religious centered life that is motivated to please men, to avoid persecution, to take pride in your performance? Or in living a gospel centered life that is motivated to please God and takes pride in what God has done through Jesus in a way that brings glory and honor to God? 

What Do You Take Pride In?

This week, we are looking at the concluding section of a letter in the Bible called the book of Galatians. Yesterday we discovered that we are to vote no n religion because religion results in a life driven by the wrong motivations. We saw Paul reveal for us the reality that a religious centered lifestyle is often driven by the motivation to please men. A religious centered lifestyle is often driven by the motivation to avoid persecution. And a religious centered lifestyle is often driven by the motivation to take pride in their performance.

And that is why we must vote no on religion. Today, as Paul continues to conclude his letter, we will see him contrast the motivations that drive a religious centered life with the motivations that drive a gospel centered life in Galatians 6:14:

 But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.

Paul explains to the members of the churches of Galatia, and followers of Jesus throughout history, that the only boast, the only thing that those who live a gospel centered lifestyle should take pride in, is the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. But what does that mean? When Paul uses the phrase, the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, he is referring to the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel.

In other words, our source of pride should not be in what we have done for God by living a religious centered lifestyle that is based on keeping a list of rules for God. Instead, our source of pride should be in what God has done for us through Jesus life, death, and resurrection. Paul then states that as a result of placing his confident trust in the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel, “the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”

Paul’s point here is that the follower of Jesus who is living a gospel centered life that places their confident trust in what Jesus has done on the cross has died with Christ on the cross to the kind of life that belongs to this world. The follower of Jesus who is living a gospel centered lifestyle is driven by different motivations. They are not driven by the motivation to please men. They are not driven by the motivation to avoid persecution. They are not driven by the motivation to take pride in their performance for God by keeping a list of religious rules. Instead, a follower of Jesus who is living a gospel centered lifestyle is driven by the motivation to please God and bring glory and honor to God.

Paul then reinforces this reality in verse 15 by stating that “neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation”. In other words, Paul is reminding the members of the churches of Galatia, and us here this morning, that what you attempt to do for God by keeping a list of religious rules does not mean anything when it comes to experiencing a right relationship with God. Instead, what matters is whether or not you are a new creation. What matters is whether or not you have experienced God’s transformational intervention and activity in a way that results in you placing your confident trust in Christ and are living your day to day life by faith in Christ.

You see, it is not that a gospel centered lifestyle does not strive to live a life that meets a standard of faithfulness and obedience. The difference between a gospel centered lifestyle and a religious centered lifestyle is the motivation that drives their lifestyle. But that is not the only difference between a gospel centered lifestyle and a religious centered lifestyle.

Tomorrow, we will see Paul reveals another difference when it comes to the motivations that drive a gospel centered lifestyle and a religious centered lifestyle…

Vote No on Religion Because Religion Results in a Life Driven by the Wrong Motivations...

For the past several months at the church where I serve, we have been involved in a sermon series entitled “Vote No on Religion”. During this series, we have been looking at a letter in the New Testament of our Bibles called the book of Galatians. This week, I would like for us to look at the concluding section of this letter, where we will see a man named Paul provide a final piece of evidence when it comes to the problems that arise when we choose to live a religious centered life. And it is in the evidence that Paul provides that we will discover another timeless reason why we are to vote no on religion. So let’s look at the evidence together, beginning in Galatians 6:11:

See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand.

Paul begins this final section of his letter to the members of the churches of Galatia with a seemingly strange statement. To understand this statement, we first need to understand something about Paul and something about the members of the churches of Galatia. As we discovered earlier in this series, most scholars believe that Paul suffered from significant vision problems for the rest of his life after his encounter with Jesus Christ on the Damascus Road.  Because of those vision problems, Paul was unable to write with small letters. Instead, when Paul wrote, for him to read what he wrote required that he write with large letters. As a matter of fact, because of this illness, it was a normal practice for Paul to dictate his letters orally to a scribe and then write the concluding greeting in his own hand.

So Paul’s statement here is to let the members of the churches of Galatia know that this letter was actually his thoughts and not someone else’s thoughts. Paul wrote down this statement and what follows to authenticate that this letter was in fact from him. You see, as we have already seen in this series, the members of the churches of Galatia were skeptical of Paul and had begun to show hostility toward Paul as a result of the influence of those who were influencing and leading them to turn away from a gospel centered lifestyle and toward a religious centered lifestyle.  So they would be looking for any reason to discount the contents of this letter. Paul wanted the members of the churches of Galatia to clearly understand that his letter was from him and carried authority as a result of his role as an Apostle and leader of the early church.

After providing evidence to identify himself as the author of the letter, Paul then begins to address those who were influencing and leading the members of the churches of Galatia to turn away from a gospel centered lifestyle and toward a religious centered lifestyle. And it is here that we will see Paul reveal for us another timeless reason why we are to vote no on religion. And that timeless reason is this: We are to vote no on religion because religion results in a life driven by the wrong motivations. In this concluding section of this letter we will see Paul reveal for us three wrong motivations that drove those who were living religious centered lives to attempt to convince those who were living gospel centered lives to instead live religious centered lives. We see Paul reveal those wrong motivations beginning in Galatians 6:12. Let’s discover them together:

 Those who desire to make a good showing in the flesh try to compel you to be circumcised, simply so that they will not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. For those who are circumcised do not even keep the Law themselves, but they desire to have you circumcised so that they may boast in your flesh.

To understand what Paul is communicating here, we first need to ask and answer two questions. First, we need to know who are those who desire to make a good showing in the flesh? When Paul refers to those who desire to make a good showing in the flesh, he is referring to a group of people known as the Judaizers. The Judaizers were legalists who advocated a faith plus works basis for salvation. In other words it was faith in Christ plus works for God that resulted in a right relationship with God. In addition, they denied Paul’s authority as an apostle and leader.

Second, we need to understand why they would compel people to be circumcised. Circumcision is a surgical procedure that involves removing the foreskin from the male genitals with a surgical knife, or in this case, a knife made of stone. The reason that circumcision was so significant was that circumcision was a covenant sign that identified the Jewish people as being God’s people. Circumcision was a religious act that was required to be performed under the Law so that you would be able to be identified as being right with God as part of the Jewish religious system. Circumcision was something you did for God in order to be right with God. The Judaizers taught that to become a Christian, one must follow the Mosaic Law’s standards and become circumcised. And the Judaizers were attempting to convince and compel the members of the churches of Galatia to follow their teaching and turn away from a gospel centered lifestyle and toward a religious centered lifestyle.

Paul responds to what was happening at the churches of Galatia by exposing three shady and wrong motivations that drove the Judaizers. First, in the first half of verse 12, Paul explains that the religious centered leaders were driven to make a good showing in the flesh. But what does the mean? This phrase, in the language that this letter was originally written in, literally means to make a good showing before people.

 

In other words, these religious centered leaders were people pleasers. These religious centered leaders had fear of man issues. These religious centered leaders were first and foremost concerned with winning the approval of men, of being popular. And that reality drove their motivation to attempt to lead people away from a gospel centered lifestyle and toward a religious centered lifestyle. The more people followed their religious centered way of life, the more popular they would be in the eyes of the public.

Now has anything changed? You see this is not a 1^st century problem; this is a human nature problem. You see, unlike a gospel centered life that is driven to respond to all the God has done through Jesus by giving glory and honor to Jesus, a religious centered life is often focused of receiving the glory and honor from people. Unlike a gospel centered life that is driven to please God in response to what God has done, a religious centered life is often driven to please men in response to what they have done.

Second, in the second half of verse 12, Paul explains that the religious centered leaders were driven to avoid persecution. When Paul refers to the cross of Christ, he is referring to the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel. Throughout the New Testament of our Bibles, we see that the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel are either enthusiastically embraced, or they are violently opposed. The harsh reality is that the preaching of the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel will arouse opposition.

 

And because these religious centered leaders did not want to be harassed because of what they believed, they instead chose the path of least resistance. You see, a gospel centered lifestyle is driven by the recognition of the possibility of persecution, but treasures eternal life with Christ far greater than the temporary troubles of persecution. A religious centered lifestyle, however, can be driven by a rejection of the possibility of persecution because they treasure a temporary freedom from persecution over an eternity with Christ.

Third, in verse 13, Paul explains that the religious centered leaders were driven to take pride in their performance. Paul begins by exposing the hypocrisy of the religious centered leaders. As we have previously talked about in this series, a hypocrite is someone who creates a public impression that is at odds with ones real motivations or purpose. A hypocrite is someone that says “here is the message and teachings of Jesus, or here is a list of rules to follow, and you need to follow them, but I am not going to follow them”. A hypocrite fails to follow the message and teachings that they impose on others.

 

And that is exactly what these religious centered leaders were doing. Instead of keeping the list of religious rules that they were imposing on others, Paul then explains that they “desire to have you circumcised so that they may boast in your flesh.” In other words, the religious centered leaders were attempting to convince and compel the members of the churches of Galatia to turn away from a gospel centered lifestyle and toward a religious centered lifestyle that was based on following a list of rules for God that they themselves did not follow, so they could take pride in all the new converts that they had.

Now has anything changed? You see this is not a 1^st century problem; this is a human nature problem. You see, unlike a gospel centered life that is driven to take pride in all that God has done through Jesus to bring people into a gospel centered lifestyle, a religious centered life is driven to take pride in what they have done to bring people to their religious centered lifestyle. Unlike a gospel centered life that is focused on God’s activity, a religious centered life is focused on man’s activity.

And that is the problem with religion. A religious centered lifestyle is often driven by the motivation to please men. A religious centered lifestyle is often driven by the motivation to avoid persecution. And a religious centered lifestyle is often driven by the motivation to take pride in their performance. And that is why we must vote no on religion. We must vote no on religion because religion results in a life driven by the wrong motivations.

Tomorrow, we will see Paul contrast the motivations that drive a religious centered life with the motivations that drive a gospel centered life…

Trying To Pull The Wool Over God's Eyes?

This week, we have been looking at a section of a letter in the Bible called the book of Galatians. In this section, we have seen Paul reveal several different aspects of what makes up a gospel centered community. Today, we see Paul reveal a third aspect of gospel centered community in Galatians 6:7:

 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.

Now when Paul uses the phrase do not be deceived, God is not mocked, this phrase, if communicated in the language we use in our culture today, would sound something like this: “Do not fool yourself into thinking that you can fool God. You can pull the wool over your momma’s eye’s; you can pull the wool over your daddy’s eye’s; you can pull the wool over your community group’s eyes; you can even pull the wool you’re your pastor’s eyes; but you cannot pull the wool over God’s eyes”. 

Paul then reveals the reason why you cannot pull the wool over God’s eyes with a timeless but true principle: “for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.” Have you ever heard the phrase “you reap what you sow”? Now you know that that phrase actually comes from the Bible. This phrase is often referred to as the Law of the Harvest. And as with any law or principle, this principle is not good; this principle is not bad; this principle just is.

Paul uses this principle as proof that you cannot deceive, mock, or fool God. Whatever drives the actions of our lives will drive the results that are produced in our lives. Whatever fruit, or results, that are produced in our lives, are the direct results of our attitudes and actions in life. We see Paul unpack this reality in verse 8:

For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.

To fully understand what Paul is communicating here, we first need to define and understand some terms. When Paul refers to the flesh here, he is referring to our old nature apart from Jesus that is dominated by the evil and destructive power of sin. The word corruption refers to the total destruction of something. The Spirit that Paul is referring to is the Holy Spirit, who takes up residence in the life of the person who believes, trusts, and follows Jesus as Lord and Leader. When Paul refers to eternal life, he is referring to the transcendent eternal life that we experience for all eternity with God in Heaven.

Now, with these definitions in mind, let’s look at what Paul has to say here. Paul here is revealing the stark contrast that arises between those who live gospel centered lives and those who live religious centered lives. For those who are living religious centered lives that are controlled and influenced by our old nature apart from Christ and are attempting to do things for God in order to be in a right relationship with God by keeping a list of rules for God, Paul explains that the fruit, or the results of their lives, will be to experience eternity apart from God. 

For those who are living Spirit-filled, gospel centered lives in community with one another, Paul explains that the fruit, or the results of their lives, will be to experience the relationship with God that they were created for throughout all eternity. Because you reap what you sow. Whatever drives the actions of our lives will drive the results that are produced in our lives. Whatever fruit, or results, that are produced in our lives, are the direct results of our attitudes and actions in life.

And here we see Paul reveal for us the reality that gospel centered communities are focused on helping others cultivate a genuine and growing relationship with Christ. Gospel centered communities are communities where people are challenged and encouraged to experience a genuine and growing relationship with Christ. And gospel centered communities are communities that reveal and reflect the results of a genuine and growing relationship with Christ.

Religious centered communities, on the other hand, are communities where people are challenged and encouraged to attempt to do things for God in order to be in a right relationship with God by keeping a list of rules for God. And religious centered communities are communities that reveal and reflect the results of a life that lacks of relationship with Christ. Paul then concludes this section of his letter by revealing a fourth aspect of gospel centered community in verse 9:

Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.

Paul commands the members of the churches of Galatia to not lose heart in doing good. Now this little phrase to not lose heart literally means to not lose one’s motivation to continue to do something. What they were not to lose motivation about was in doing good, which refers to living a life of high moral quality. But why would the Apostle Paul have to command followers of Jesus to not lose their motivation when it comes to living a life of high moral quality that reveals and reflects Christ?

Paul provides that answer for us in the second half of verse 9 when he states that for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. Paul is commanding followers of Jesus to not give up or give out when it comes to living a life that reveals and reflects Christ, because over time the motivation that drives the actions of our lives will drive the results that are produced in our lives and through our lives. But why does Paul even have to say that? What is going on here?

To understand why Paul would give this command, we first need to understand something else about the principle of the Law of the Harvest. What we need to understand about the Law of the Harvest is that we reap later and we reap greater. Since most of us today do not farm, let me give you an example to help unpack this reality. I grew up in the Midwest and in the Midwest corn farming usually begins in late March or early April. During the early spring, famers plant a tiny corn seed into the ground and begin to water it.

Then the farmer waters and watches what he has sown. March-nothing. The month of April-nothing; the month of May- a little plant begins to sprout; June- seemingly very little growth. Growing up in the Midwest, we had a little saying “knee high by the 4^th of July”. In other words, the hope was that by the 4^th of July, the corn plant would be knee high. So for four months, this corn seed would have grown only this high. I don’t know about you, but that is not a lot of progress.  

But in the months of July and August, the corn plant grew from knee high to being over 6 feet tall. And by September, farmers are beginning to harvest multiple ears of corn from this large plant that started off as a little seed some six months earlier. You see, as a farmer, you know that you reap greater and you reap later. You reap something that is much greater than what you have sown. And you reap much later than when you have sown. You do not sow and then reap the next day; it takes time. But in time, your efforts produce fruit.

And that is why, in verse 10, Paul encourages the members of the churches of Galatia to stay motivated and take advantage of every opportunity to live lives that reveal and reflect Christ to those around us. And it is here that we see that gospel centered communities are communities where people are challenged and encouraged to and have an ongoing impact for Christ. Gospel centered communities are communities that are marked by a driving motivation to invest in the lives of others in a way that reveals and reflects Christ. Gospel centered communities are communities that are marked by a driving motivation to love and serve others in a way that meets both pressing and profound needs. Gospel centered communities are communities that are marked by a driving motivation to have an ongoing impact for Christ in a way that advances His kingdom and enhances his reputation.

And that is why we must vote no on religion. We are to vote no on religion because religion does not produce gospel centered community. We are to vote no on religion because religion does not produce gospel centered communities that are focused on helping others stay on track when it comes to their relationship with Christ. We are to vote no on religion because religion does not produce gospel centered communities that are focused on supporting and encouraging one another when it comes to their relationship with Christ. We are to vote no on religion because religion does not produce gospel centered communities that are focused on helping others cultivate a genuine and growing relationship with Christ. We are to vote no on religion because religion does not produce gospel centered communities where people are challenged and encouraged to and have an ongoing impact for Christ.

So how are you casting your ballot? How have you been voting? Have you been casting your ballot to live as a religious centered person? Or have you been casting you ballot to live as a gospel centered person?